WiR: Dog AU :)
by the pixlexic sloth
Summary: "You're just a bad dog!" That's the only thing a bull mastiff named Ralph had heard all his life. So he becomes determined to prove to everyone that he COULD be a good dog and runs away on a great adventure. But through the help from a little black kitten named Vanellope, Ralph learns what it truly means to be a good dog. (Story currently under revision ;))
1. WiR: Dog AU- Author's Notes :)

**(Author's Notes, to let everyone know what's the current status of this story :))-**

 **First off, thank you to the few long-time readers who have already begun to read this story, who have favorited and/or followed it! :D Your support is awesome and is much appreciated (and a huge motivator for me to continue to work on it) :) So sorry for the huge break in between the chapters, especially this last huge break lol Life's been hectic and busy and has gone by so fast lately- but just know I'm still committed to this story!**

 **Thanks, too, for those who have just started to read it from the beginning; I sincerely hope you like the story and find that it fits the _Wreck-It Ralph_ movie as close as I could make it lol** **Just know it takes a while for me to update with new chapters- but I'm trying to stay consistent now that my life has calmed down some ;)**

 **This story started off just a small, harmless idea...but, like most stories, it soon spiraled out of control and took a life of its own lol Fitting the _Wreck-It Ralph_ movie plot and its characters in an alternate talking animal universe is a fun yet challenging writing idea- one that has proved to be a _huge_ undertaking for me.**

 **So along with a crazy and busy schedule I have, life changes, and several other story ideas I have competing for time, continuing this story (let alone _completing_ it lol) has taken a lot longer than I thought it would, going on years now. Updated chapters for this story have become few and far between...and because of this, I'm sure the original readers of the story have thought I've forgotten about this story, leaving it high and dry. Well, I haven't lol...in fact, I have several new chapters I'm working on with some big surprises in store ;) It's just getting them completed and ready to publish that has been the challenge.**

I **n order to get myself -and possibly it's readers- excited for this story again, I've decided to go through and revise its existing chapters. Starting with the first chapter on, I'm going through and (hopefully lol) correcting most of the grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm also adding new details to most of the chapters- describing the scene and it's characters more, giving more details and adding more meaning to the story, etc. (I'm only adding a few new _ideas,_ though, ones that change the story just a bit and that will affect it, especially as the story goes further on.)** **Some of the chapters have mostly stayed the same in length; others have greatly increased** **in word count and complexity, depending on the chapter, of course. And some chapters have been split into two separate chapters due to size and length, making each easier for the audience to read.** **This will make some of the chapter numbers in the rest of the existing story a little out of sync for a while, and throw off the chapter count a bit. I will do my best to correct this and make sure that it will be accurate.**

 **All of this** **is a slow, tedious process- but is making adding new chapters easier.** **In the process of revising the already published chapters, I will be adding the new chapters to keep the storying moving forward :)**

 **I sincerely hope all those reading -new ones or the patrons who have followed this story from the beginning- will like the new changes and like the story overall!** **Thanks again :D**

 **Now on with the story!!**


	2. Chapter 1: Introduction

**Chapter 1: Introduction**

 _Why, oh why did I ever agree with Felix to do this?_ the dog thought in annoyance to himself, his mind beyond sour already. _This has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever thought of doing...other than that time I thought I could fit through that little hole in the fence_...

Shaking his large head as his ears flopped against his face slightly, he paused in reflecting and looked around him.

 _Nope, even this idea tops that on the stupidity level_.

The large dog couldn't help already feel the overwhelming sense of discomfort and bitterness at his current situation...

And the 'meeting' of sorts had barely even started.

Maybe he was kicking himself was because he knew that -like practically everything else in his life- he'd soon be regretting and trying to undo this decision. Or maybe it was because earlier he'd actually allowed himself to have a slight bit of hope, of expectancy, even- but now that, of course, had waned and his hope of something _(anything)_ better had become a mere unsatisfied wish. Per the norm.

But, nonetheless, here the mastiff was, surrounded by fellow dogs who promised and vowed to 'understand' his plight and 'sympathize' his feelings.

 _Yeah, sure they will,_ he couldn't help but mockishly miff. _What a joke of a club._

Sighing, the dog snorted belligerently. That hollow feeling of more and more anxiety filled him by the moment- and that even more familiar feeling of pain and disappointment was already threatening to bouce around violently in his heart again.

Despondently laying his massive head down, the pooch couldn't help but close his eyes and mentally zone out. The other dogs around him continued to introduce themselves one at a time and to begin their long, sad stories- boring him out of his mind.

"Sup. I'm Bowser..."

"Cyclops' my name..."

"Hello, my name is Zangief..."

 _"Urrgh!_ Me Zombie!.."

So on and so forth. Dog after dog told sob story after sob story. Some 'life-journeys' were ones he'd heard many times; others were completely new to his ears. But they all began to blur and mix and run together in his mind regardless, if he were to be completely honest.

Just as one dog had somewhat exclaimed how he had survived a few run-ins with many a car, the large, zoned out dog had completely check out in boredom. He suddenly mentally unclogged his ears, though- long enough to hear his name being repeatedly said, at least.

"Uh?" the mastiff asked numbly, raising his head a little in rapt attention to look at the group's leader in the eye.

"It's your turn now, Ralph," a little Boston terrier of a leader repeated kindly. He nodded at the detached bull mastiff before him, inviting him to finally take an active part in their meeting.

"Oh, right... Uh, ok, Clyde," the mastiff mumbled slightly in response as he eyed the rest of the fellow Bad-Anon members cautiously. He slowly sat back up on his hindquarters...

And subconsciously realized that he was _still_ taller sitting down than most of these dogs were when they stood on all four.

His large, broad shoulders stood above head level of even the biggest of pooches there at the meeting, and he had to look down at everyone else's faces as they expectingly looked back up at him. It was clear that Ralph indeed was the biggest dog in the meeting.

And that was just taking his height in consideration. Ralph could bet on a dime he weighed twice if not _three times_ heavier than all these other dogs, too- even if some of the smaller ones were combined in weight...

Although, it wasn't _all_ fat, the mastiff would argue; it was mostly his strong, sturdy muscles surrounding his big, bulky bones that made up most of his whopping 243 pounds...

Shaking his head again to clear it of the contrasting thoughts screaming at him, the mutt hesitated before speaking, not being quite so sure just how'd these other dogs react to him entering the group.

Sure, he knew most of the members already...and yeah, _all_ of these dogs were all called 'bad' themselves. But none of them -not a single one- even came _close_ to Ralph's size or gruff or demeanor...

"Care to introduce yourself?" Clyde inquired once more, shaking Ralph once more from his rambling, precarious thoughts- before they ran wild again.

"Oh, right...," the fellow animal blushed out quickly, clearing his throat and mind nervously as his cheeks glowed bright red. "Uh, sorry about that, Clyde."

The Boston terrier just smiled kindly towards him, easing Ralph's worried mindset a tad bit.

"It's quite alright, Ralph," Clyde appeased. "Just stand up tall, state your name, your breed, and just why you are here with us tonight," the tiny dog then clearly instructed.

Quickly nodding, Ralph felt his blush intensify as his ears flatten upon his head.

 _Okay...well then, this is it, I guess,_ he gulped down halfheartedly, his heart sinking like a stone deep in his broad chest. _Might as well get it over with._

Still beyond a little nervous to comply with the Boston's wishes, the mastiff forced himself awkwardly stood up in all four paws- not failing to _tower_ over all the others' heads with his massive size as he always did.

But none of the other dogs even seemed to notice this time...

Because they were all too focused on trying to avoid staring at or even giving attention to the elephant in the room. The largest, more obviously frightening elephant in the room.

That of Ralph's freakishly large paws.

Each of his paws were indeed massive. Huge. Supersized. _Abnormal_. Whatever anyone wanted to call his paws, it was more than likely indeed true. Each foot was like a fawn-colored basketball at the end of his thick legs- and that somehow stood out from every other feature of the already huge dog.

In fact, the late stragglers in the meeting -ones who had no clue who he was, especially- eyed him with wide eyes as he now stood up. They each forced back their stunned gulps, silent gasps, and poorly hidden slack-jaws- and even the ones who knew Ralph well had to hold back the urge to give an impressive whistle at the sheer size of his huge, scarry big paws.

Not that Ralph would've called any of them out for it, though.

After all these years, he had barely even acknowledged such horror glances his way anymore- or so he wished. And he had successfully grown quite immune to the painful looks of fear he received on a daily bases- or so he hoped.

Others could stare, gawk, whisper all day long; it was just everyday life to him at this point. Besides, such looks and talk didn't and _wouldn't_ ever change anything, anyway.

The stunned gulps couldn't change the fact that the bull mastiff was the most massive, most intimidating, and most terrifying canine in town. The silent gasps couldn't change that his paws were far more ginormous than any other dog's paws.

The slack-jaws wouldn't change his closed-off, angry demeanor his sharp, pointed glares, either- which only proved to make his reputation that much worse. The whistles couldn't change that he avoided other animal or human contact the most he could- because, admittedly, those looks of fear and distrust still pained him every time.

Nothing anyone did or said could ever change the fact Ralph was just a hated, feared, judged, _rejected_ bad dog- all based solely on his appearance, afterall...

Causing him so much more pain than others would ever know...

Forcing himself to get out of his negative thinking and to focus on what he was doing at the moment in the meeting, the mastiff gulped again.

 _As stupid as I think all this is,_ he sighed out, ignoring his pounding chest as he grumbled. _I'm officially part of it all- no chance of backing out_ now.

 _Thanks alot for the idea, Felix..._

"Uh, hey-oh, everybody. My name's Ralph...," he finally called out to the group of fellow dogs in a weak and surprisingly shy way, his head low in self-consciousness.

After a few fellow pooches mumbled out a polite hello and/or stifled welcoming, the oversized mastiff stared down at his enormous paws and shuffled them softly- beyond uneasy and unsure as the other animals continued to stare at him...or at his paws in particular.

After exhaling a shaky breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding in the whole meeting, though, Ralph finally gulped. Bit his lip. Regretted what he was about to do. Allowed every hope or wish or expectation he had to die right then and there. Closed his eyes...

And finally had to courage to acknowledge the dreaded yet accepted truth about himself.

"I'm, um, a bull mastiff...and, well...I'm a _bad dog."_


	3. Chapter 2: Daily Rant

**Chapter 2** : **Daily Rant**

"Felix is nice enough, as 'good dogs' go, I guess," Ralph admitted softly- although his face couldn't help but twist slightly at the assigned title given to his little fellow colleague of sorts. "But is it _my_ fault that 'good dog' was born with absolute cuteness?! Or that he's the mascot for Mr.Litwak's Petshop?!"

The angry dog growled with spite inwardly before he continued, his eyes dark with jealousy. "I mean, _come on!_ He's a stinkin' _Corgi,_ for crying out loud! That breed is, like, the very definition of adorability!"

Pausing in what was becoming his daily rant, Ralph sighed as he attempted to catch his breath. As he did, he could see that the other bad dogs surrounding him were actually really listening, then nodding at him in mutual understanding and frustration.

 _Maybe, just maybe...they do understand_, the mastiff felt himself wondering hopefully, biting his lip for a second. _At least more than Felix ever will..._

At the mere thought of the overly adorable corgi flashing across his mind, Ralph rolled his eyes in anger again.

"Felix is great and all, don't get I wrong- no one could possibly _ever_ hate Felix the Great," he mocked slightly as he flopped back down on his bottom- ignoring how he shook the room as he did. "I just always thought being cute does not automatically make ya a good dog. But in Mr.Litwak's pet shop, it apparently seems to _._ "

A familiar snarl appeared on Ralph's face, and his narrowed eyes darkened that much more at the thought. He slumped in his place, his shoulders sagging forward as he sighed loudly in annoyance.

 _"Everyone_ just _loves_ Felix," he gushed mockishly- although a clear hint of envy was evident in his tone. "Mr.Litwak, the other animals in the pet shop, even the other animals around town- all just _adore_ him."

He paused yet again to roll his eyes in disgust, his verbally caricature the smaller dog back at their pet shop enough to make his stomach churned.

"Oh, and the kicker?" he rushed on, his tone somehow even rougher and edgier than before. "Felix _also_ gets to have brand new collars with shiny new tags on it from Mr.Litwak. And he doesn't even get them for any real valid reason, like guarding the pet shop or chasing possible intruders away. Because guess what, news flash: that's _my_ job!"

At his harsh words and strong, irate tone, the other dogs around winced slightly in their place- noticing a shift in Ralph's tone and behavior. It was clear that collars were a sensitive subject for the mastiff.

"All Felix gets his collars for is because he ' _a_ _ttracts_ ' people to the pet store!" The mastiff exclaimed angrily in shock, his rage beginning to grow as accidentally loud as his voice was. "Uh, they're 'attracted' to the pet shop because _they are looking for an animal to adopt!"_

As loud and fast as he was talking, Ralph didn't even notice how some of the other dogs in the Bad-Anon meeting were starting to cringe a little. Some even openly and slightly cowarded at the huge dog's hostile voice and mien, afraid he would snap any moment.

"And are there new collars and shiny tags for guarding things really well?" Ralph then hissed out bitterly, rolling his eyes dismissively. "To that I say HA! A-and no, there's not. All _I_ get is an old crummy collar that I've had for years now and is barely holding up still!"

Exasperatedly nodding down at his large neck to prove his point, Ralph begrudgingly emphasized his worn, scuffed up collar. The mere rope the collar was made of was old and falling apart, the threads bearly holding together. It wasn't anything nice or even visually appealing in the slightest, even in it's hayday- and was nothing more than a makeshift collar for a huge dog like Ralph.

At seeing of his shabby, crumbling collar, Ralph's anger just reflared. He growled all the more- his annoyance dangerously reaching its' wit ends.

Upon finally realizing that a small dog in the group was gulping in fear of his angry mien, though, the mastiff forced himself became calmer. Gulping himself, Ralph forced himself to slowly tone it down a little.

He just couldn't help he got so angry so fast, though. Ralph the guard dog was the first to admit he had a bit of a temper on him, he couldn't lie; his passion bubbled very close to the surface.

Suddenly eyeing the floor in embarrassment, he looked slightly guilty and ashamed of his ranting and anger. A low, deep sigh softly escaped his furry lips- forcing his mind to go in a different, less angry direction.

"Ok, don't get me wrong- things are way better than what they were before," Ralph finally admitted to the group gingerly, his tone softer and more grateful. "As some of you know, I was at one time an ownerless junkyard mutt for years- so having a home at all _is_ pretty nice. And, I know, a steady guarding job is nothing to sneeze at, I'm pretty lucky- especially considering where some of my old buddies from the junkyard are now..."

At the mental image of one of his old friends in particular, Ralph found himself trailing off. He briefly reminisced of his old life- and shuddered in disgust at the mere mental picture of it.

Unable to stand the thought of it anymore, his mind immediately flashed forward to the present day- and although he could safely say his life was currently _much_ better than before...

Ralph couldn't just lie and say his life was any happier.

"It's just... I guess I gotta say: it becomes kinda hard to love your job when no seems to like you for doing it," the mastiff then told the others pointedly. "And, I don't know, maybe I wouldn't be feeling this way if things were _after_ the pet shop closes..."

Feeling beyond stupid and pathetic for getting so worked up about it all, Ralph shook his head passively. He once again tried to force himself to not feel so hurt, to try and just accept his reality- although it was extremely hard to do so. There was only so much ignoring and dismissing one dog could do after so long.

"But, it is what it is, I guess," he finally concluded miserably. "Felix and the other animals hang out inside the pet shop which, you know, gets to be their nice, warm home and everything... And I just go to my little dumpy, shabby place of a doghouse outside the pet shop's doors..."

The mutt thought for a minute about the place he called home, his eyebrows hunched together in dispair. With the sagging roof, the weakening walls, and the cold, hard concrete floor... his doghouse home was less than fabulous. In his opinion, in fact, Ralph's doghouse was barely a step above a _litter box._

Forcing his mind over, though, Ralph shook his head clear. He knew there was always some silver lining... And besides, he really didn't want these other dogs to think any less of him- any less than they probably already did, at least.

"I guess I can't bellyache too much," he mentioned outloud, shuffling his paws again. "At least I _have_ an old doghouse and an old blanket so I can sleep in front of the shop. It looks totally uncomfortable, but it's fine."

He shrugged his massive shoulders casually at the others continued listening understandingly. The mastiff knew they didn't have much better housing conditions, either.

A look of deep pain filled Ralph's face, however...and after a moment, he could clearly picture the undeniablely harsh reality of his life with his mind's eye.

"But, if I'm really honest with myself... when I see Felix through the window of the pet shop, always getting patted on the head by Mr.Litwak, all the shoppers giving him treats, the other animals always praising him... _everyone_ always so happy to see him all the time...,"

Pausing to sigh yet again, Ralph felt his heart pound in his chest- and he knew that his face now bore a look of sadness that always seemed to haunt him.

"Sometimes I think: 'Man, it sure must nice being the _good_ dog'."


	4. Chapter 3: Good and Bad

**Chapter 3:** **Good and Bad**

The other canines began to quietly howl in understanding after Ralph had finished his sad rant, causing him to lay his head on his above average paws. He oddly felt a little bit better after expressing his feelings; just talking to others who just might understand how he felt certainly was a weight off his chest.

After a few more howls and head nods, Clyde then broke up the applause of the other dogs in order to regain a calm, dignified order- and to sincerely console the sadden bull mastiff.

"Ralph, as fellow bad dogs, we've _all_ felt what you're feeling," the little Boston terrier reasoned and reassured the large dog. "And we've comes to terms with it."

At the terrier's greatly surprising words, Ralph's eyebrows shot up. He raised his head up as well, looking at the group's leader right in the eye.

 _These dogs get it?_ he pondered- feeling his hope ignite a little again. _They_ _really_ _understand how I feel?_

"Really?" the mastiff verbally asked, slyly looking around at the fellow dogs around him- finding that they were all nodding in agreement as well.

"Listen, Ralph. I completely relate to you," an accented voice called out, causing every dog's head turned to look at the source of the voice. They found the heavy-russian accented voice belong to no one else than Zangief the Siberian Husky, laying down near where Ralph was. "Once, to protect family, I crushed man's arm like sparrow's egg between my jaws."

The grey-and-white pooch paused to harshly growl- demonstrating his deep aggressiveness as the the others jumped a little in place.

"After that, I thought: Why do you have to be so bad, Zangief?" the mutt continued, his voice thoughtful and soft. "Why can't you be more like _good_ dog?"

His furry eyebrows arched even higher, Ralph was surprised at the fellow mutt's shocking and relatable feelings. He'd known Zangief for years- but he'd never known that the husky felt so similar to him.

The mastiff found himself sitting back up and nodding in agreement as he waited, nearly begging for the husky to continue in his account.

"Then," Zangief murmured as he narrowed his haunting blue eyes, "I have moment of clarity. Zangief _is_ good dog, who crushed man's arm like sparrow's egg between jaws. And I say 'Zangief, you are bad dog, but that is does not mean you are... _bad_ dog?'"

At his wise piphany, the dogs around the small room began to howl in agreement- except a certain bull mastiff, who just sat looking completely perplexed and slack-jawed.

 _What is the name of Spot does that even mean? _

"Ooookay..." Ralph finally murmured, looking blankly at the fellow dog with his ears flat up against his head in confusion. "Yeah, dude- you, uh...you completely lost me there-"

"ZOMBIE speak!" The balding boxer barked out suddenly, causing Ralph to jump in his place beside him. "Zangief saying labels not make you happy," the near-death dog tried to explain to Ralph. "Good, bad, URGH! You must love _you_!"

When the mangy dog leaned over to passionately laid his head against Ralph's huge shoulder, the mastiff cringed and tried to quickly and inconspicuously scoot away.

"Um...sure," the mastiff forced himself to halfheartedly respond, wincing a little when Zombie's tongue began to hang out of the side of his mouth and his eyes went rolling into the back of his head. "Whatever you say, Zombie..."

"Listen, Ralph," Clyde quickly intruded as he walked up to the obviously uncomfortable mastiff. "We've been asking you to Bad-Anon for _years_ now...And tonight, you finally show up. Why is that?"

Avoiding looking Clyde in the eye, Ralph ignored his present fear of getting mange (or something far worse) from Zombie and shifted uncomfortably again. He sat up a little straighter, finally eyeing the group's leader.

"I dunno," Ralph answered after a moment, shrugging casually to shake off the uneasiness growing inside him. "I just felt like coming tonight, I guess. It was really _Felix'_ idea, honestly. He really encouraged me to attend this meeting tonight for whatever reason..."

The mastiff found himself purposely trailing off- before he allowed another big reason for his presence to slip out.

"Annnd I suppose that it has something to do with the fact that, uh...well, today's the 5 year anniversary of the opening of Mr.Litwak's One-Stop Pet Shop."

The dogs around him voiced hushed expressions of applause, all smiling in kudos of the achievement the town's little pet shop had.

"Ah, Happy Anniversary, Ralph," a small chihuahua sitting nearby kindly commented in a proper voice- stereotypically shaking on tiny legs in his auburn coat.

"Thanks, Satan," Ralph said in reply to the small pup, a small smile present...yet still weak nonetheless as he turned back to the rest of the group. "But, here's the thing, guys..."

Wearily eyeing the rest of the group before him, the mastiff paused to gulp heartily. He wasn't sure how the others would respond to what he was about to say- but he knew he had to say it nonetheless.

Finally sucking in a deep breath, Ralph then forced himself to blurt out the true reason behind his attendance tonight at their meeting.

"I...I don't wanna be a ' _bad dog'_ anymore."


	5. Chapter 4: Turbo's DNA

**Chapter 4: Turbo's DNA**

Every furry canine mouth in the room nearly hit the floor in shock at Ralph's revelation. Some of the pooches did a double take in his direction; others just openly gawked. Zangief started wheezing, mumbling something unintelligently in Russian. Beside him, Zombie _'urged'_ and _'arged'_ over and over again, his eyes rolling back further into his head. Even Clyde's eyes bugged out even more than usual in utter and complete shock.

Within seconds, though, each dog was growling and barking loudly at the same time, arguing or disagreeing or panicking across the little room of sorts they were in- all in Ralph's direction.

Gulping as his stomach hit the floor hard, Ralph backed up slightly in nervousness. He fully expected the others to be weary of his statement- but all of _this_?

"You're not going to go Turbo, are you?" an extra furry mixture of a mutt named M.Bison dramatically asked the mastiff, narrowing his eyes sharply at him.

" _What?_ No! Of course I'm not going Turbo!" Ralph hissed ridiculously in defense- before growling indignantly. "Is it 'Turbo' to want more out of life, or a new collar, or-or a decent treat every once in a while?!"

A schnauzer mix in the group named Eggman shook his head dismissively, his long mustache dancing around as much as his thick eyebrows did.

"Why do you think that Turbo pup disappeared in the first place, you moron?" he asked pointedly. "He didn't accept who he was- and it sounds like _you_ don't, either."

Snarling slightly, Ralph brushed off the insult.

"Whatever, Egghead. You didn't even _know_ him."

"I didn't have to," the schnauzer responded quickly, his thick eyebrows hunched in nervousness. "We _all_ know what happened to him..."

At the dog's words, Ralph was about to give a quick quip before thinking for a moment.

"Well, Turbo had some of the same troubles _I_ currently have... but he didn't want to just accept that he was a forever bad dog," he mused softly. "And _that's_ why he disappeared to make changes to be a good dog."

Looking around the group, Ralph felt his eyes harden in seriousness.

"Maybe Turbo was on to something, guys..."

"Impossible!" a newfoundland called Cyclops growled, his one remaining eye revealing his irritation with Ralph. "You can't just change what's in your DNA, Ralph!"

"What?" Ralph barked defensively at him, rolling his eyes dismissively. "What does _that_ have to do with anything, One-Eye?"

"It means, Ralph, that some dogs are just _made_ to be bad dogs!" the large rottweiler named Bowser butted in. "In fact, it's just in some _breeds'_ blood! It's was in Turbo's blood, and there is-"

"Oh, _come on_ , Bowser!" Ralph interrupted with an exasperated huff, feeling his blood boil slightly. "You honestly _believe_ all that junk? There is no science behind that! It's just a theory!"

"No, is proven _true,_ Ralph!" Zangief answered, his blue eyes sharply peering into Ralph. "Is in DNA to be bad dog sometimes! It is completely unavoidable, unchangeable!"

The other dogs around him nodded in stubborn agreement, clearly taking a side on a heated debate that had plagued canines for centuries. Even in small towns like Arcadia, it was a hot topic to discuss- but _especially_ after the events involving Turbo happened...

Ralph knew that millions of fellow canines all over the world believed such a theory was true: once a bad dog was always a bad dog. It was simply in a dog's DNA whether they were good or bad- and nothing nor no one (not even the dog _himself)_ could ever change that.

But there was a slight minority of pooches out there who didn't believe it, didn't just accept such a 'garbage theory' as true- dogs who believe they had a choice. They believed that being a good dog or being a bad dog didn't fall into what was in their breed or ancestry or bloodline. It didn't even fall into the training of an owner.

It solely came from who the dog _chose_ to be- whether to be good deep down or bad deep down...

That slight minority of dogs knew inside that it was each dog's personal choice as to who they themselves wanted to be- despite what their appearance may be, what their breed is, or even their owner may say. It was a deep, well-thought-out choice to be good or bad, not chosen by DNA or left to chance.

And Ralph personally believed that with everything he had.

Huffing angrily in annoyance, the mastiff roughly shook his head at the others, rejecting such rubbish they were blindly supporting.

 _Why am I even trying to convince these mutts otherwise?_ he caved, mentally growling disappointedly. _They don't -and won't- understand, the blind freaks!_

"Okay! Fine, I get it, _I get it!_ Being bad is in **some** of our _DNA_!" Ralph finally growled defeatedly- refusing to give in completely, however. "But why does that mean we all have to _be_ bad dogs, just because our breeds' DNA says so?" he argued then in another desperate attempt. "I mean, why can't we _chose_ to be a good or bad dog... like Turbo seemed to have tried to?"

Beside him, Sorceress snorted, her long, wavey, blue-ish grey ears waving slightly as she shook her head.

"Right. And look where trying to choose lead _him_ ," the Afghan hound reminded the group, her voice low and eerie. "Never to be seen again."

At the fellow dog's words, Ralph rudely snorted back, unfazed by her words.

"Whatever. Half of you didn't even know Turbo before he disappeared," he hissed disgustedly at the group. "I did...and what I'm sayin' is maybe Turbo had a point. That just because our DNA may _d_ _ecide_ we're a good or bad dog doesn't actually mean _we have to be._"

He eyed around at the dogs, seeing they were already closedminded to his point of reason. Desperately nodding to the leader of the makeshift pack, Ralph focused on Clyde with pleading eyes.

" _Clyde's_ a Boston terrier, for an example," the mastiff quickly pointed out. " _They're_ not considered a 'bad dog' breed, but he-"

"Actually, Ralph," the said terrier responded, kindly refuting the mastiff. "I'm not _full_ Boston terrier. My mother was a Boston, but my father was a chihuahua. And, because of their natural DNA, chihuahua considered complete _terrors!_ "

At his candid words, Clyde turned eyed Satan sheepishly, blushing slightly. "No offense there."

The devil small dog spoken to just shrugged nonchalantly and laid back down in response, innately trembling. "None took, Clyde."

In pure annoyance and aggregation -his hope once again dwindling quickly- Ralph narrowed his eyes sharply. Gulping back a stubborn knot in his throat, he knew his reasoning was falling on deaf ears.

 _Why even bother?_


	6. Chapter 5: Bad-Dog Affirmation

**C** **hapter 5: Bad-Dog Affirmation**

"Listen, Ralph," Clyde sighed as he turned to face the now completely exasperated mastiff. "We _all_ get where you're coming from, regardless if we feel the same way or not. Trust me, we _all_ want to be called good dogs, too..."

Already shaking his head dismissively as he tuned the terrier out, Ralph hiddenly rolled his eyes- annoyed that not one dog saw things from his perspective.

"...But the point is, we can't change who we are, or who our DNA decides we are," the small dog told him softly, Ralph's ears picking up the tail end of his words. "And the sooner you accept that, the better off your role as a bad dog- and your life in general- will be."

The other animals at the meeting nodded solemnly in agreement, all accepting Clyde's words as they were- all except a certain, still scornful bull mastiff.

"Take it one day at time, Ralph," Zangief advised kindly, nodding at Ralph with semi-understanding eyes. "Is going get better."

At his wise, calm words, Ralph just wordlessly and stubbornly shook his head. Obviously irritated, he allowed their advice to go floating into one ear and quickly out the other.

 _I knew it_ , he thought to himself bitterly- the hollow pain in his chest rising. _These mutts will_ _ never understand what I mean_ _or really get what it's like..._ _what it **feels** like..._

Somehow ignoring Ralph's obviously sour demeanor, Clyde looked around at the fellow mutts and gave an affirming nod to them.

"Alright, gang," he concluded softly, "let's close out with the Bad-Dog Affirmation."

 _I thought they'd understand,_ Ralph continued to think irately as he and the others robotically stood up. He numbly followed in suit as the others around him gathered more tightly into their makeshift circle. _How stupid was I to think something like that?_

With closed eyes and with bowed heads, the bad dogs -from the smallest of chihuahuas to largest of rottweilers- began the affirmation they'd been saying for years on end now...

And one that they almost all believed with everything they had.

"I'm bad- and that's good. I will never be good, and that's not bad. There's no one I'd rather be...than me," the dogs chimed out heartily...

All except Ralph, who just listened with dark eyes- and an empty and embittered heart.


	7. Chapter 6: Random Security Check

**Chapter 6:** **Random Security Check**

After the motivating oath was stated, all of the canines waltzed out of the old, run-down shack they held their meetings in. Most of the dogs were yipping farewells and good wishes to each other until they met next Friday night- each dog renewed with the strength to deal with yet another upcoming day of being a bad dog...

All except for Ralph, who hung his head low and lumbered back out into the street.

As he heading back to his town, the mastiff decided that was his first and _last_ Bad-Dog Meeting he'd ever go to. His head pounding in anger, he regretted ever going to the meeting, feeling even worse than he had before.

 _That whole thing was just a big, stupid waste of time, _Ralph growled with an eye roll, shaking his head in bitterness. _It definitely wasn't worth leaving town for, even if it was just the town next door._

At some point during his stumbling homeward, the dog's mind filled with what the fellow dogs back at the meeting had said.

 _"Take_ _it one day at a time, Ralph..."_

 _"_ _We **all**_ _get where you're going from..._ "

 _"_ _'I'm_ _bad, and that's good...there's no one I rather be than-_

"...some other dog in another life," Ralph finished off in his own words, mumbling miserably. "I rather be _anyone_ else but who I am..."

Roughly shaking off the dew that had started to sprinkle on his light-colored coat, the mutt was able to pause in his depressed thinking when he came to the big welcome sign to his town.

" _Welcome all to Arcadia City: Home of the Best People in the whole State!_" the sign read cheerfully, although merely looking at the sign's peeling paint and over-exaggerated wording made Ralph roll his eyes.

"Yeah, right," he snorted, glaring at the sign in spite. "'Best People in the whole State'. What a joke. It's more like 'The Worse People in the Whole State'. _Animals_ included."

He was about to ignore the faded billboard and mosie on by it when, as if on cue, a sketchy greyhound eerily popped up from behind the sign.

"Step aside for a random security check, sir," the greyhound stated to Ralph, his voice obnoxiously monotone and dry. As he walked forward, he glared unappreciatively the mastiff, as if the fellow dog had completely ruined his night.

As the slightly plumb hound stepped closer into view under the overhead street light, Ralph groaned loudly.

"Random my behind!" he hissed to monotone pooch as he stepped closer to him. "You **always** stopped me!"

"Just doing my job, sir," the greyhound told him nonchalantly, his voice clear that the mastiff better not push his luck.

 _Right...if this_ _even is your real __job_ , Ralph mentally huffed in reply as the greyhound started embarrassingly sniffing Ralph's rear end for more details of his previous whereabouts.

Everyone in the town dubbed this loathsome, droning greyhound Surge Protector- giving him such a nickname because of the hound's untimely way of appearing out of nowhere to see where an animal was traveling to or from...and the obnoxious time delay such an interrogation often caused. No one gave a second thought as to just ask the pooch what his real name may be, not wanting to spend any more time than absolutely necessary with him- or to ask what gave him the authority to stop every animal in town when entering or exiting the city.

The mutt supposedly worked undercover for the town's police station, always sniffing other dogs and animals to make sure they weren't illegal or on K-9's most wanted list- although there were some who doubted Surge's occupation altogether. There was even a serious rumor circulating around Arcadia that the mysterious greyhound wasn't even a real cop dog; they'd say that he was just a deranged mutt who found a K-9's vest and decided to become a mock impressionist- all because he didn't have anything else to do.

But if in the off-hand chance that rumor was actually false, all the animals around town 'respected' Surge's so-called authority and went along with his ill-timed interrogations. They all feared the worst about what the greyhound would do them if they disobeyed him; he was _already_ as obnoxious as he possibly could be, after all.

Narrowing his brown eyes in through the drizzle, Ralph shivered in annoyance. He too knew Surge was notorious for stopping practically every animal that came and went from the town of Arcadia, always claiming it was for a 'random security check'. But he _always_ seemed to stop the mastiff for some reason; it was as if the supposed cop dog got some sick joy out of annoying Ralph to death...Which easily irritated the mastiff more than the actual interrogation did.

After the night he had, though, Ralph could easily admit that he was in absolutely _no_ mood to deal with the bothersome greyhound. His paper-thin patience was weak as it was- and Surge was about to rip yet another large hole in it.

 _Forget about being a good or bad dog,_ Ralph paused to mock inwardly. _Maybe it's in Surge's DNA to be annoying as he could be and he has no choice in the matter..._

Despiting feeling so exhausted he was shocked he was still standing upright, Ralph couldn't help but snort. The thought of Surge's DNA being the source of what made him so flat-out irritating made the mastiff feel a tad bit better.

That tad bit better immediately disappeared, however, when Ralph heard Surge mumbled something under his breath that he didn't 'get paid enough to sniff a fat dog's rear end.'

Instantly snarling at the greyhound's offensive words, the fed-up mastiff felt like snapping some quick quip back at Surge- but decided against it. If he resisted him in any way, the possibly real cop dog could end up 'arresting' Ralph or whatever he would do to him- which the _last_ thing the mastiff needed.

Groaning within himself, Ralph decided that he could play along with the greyhound's inquiry...

For as long as he mentally could, anyways.

As Ralph's blush only deepened, Surge stuck with his supposed script as he continued to sniff the mastiff.

"Name," he mumbled to the much larger dog.

Rolling his eyes, Ralph snarled. "Old Yeller!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "But I'm under cover, so I also go by the name Lassie."

 _"Name_ ," the greyhound repeated sharply, his tone clear he wasn't going to tolerate the mastiff's games tonight.

"Ralph," the large dog finally mumbled, shriveling up a little before shaking his head. "You've met me- and _sniffed_ me- a billion times before, ya know."

"I met a lot of animals coming and going, sir," Surge routinely responded. "You all tend to blur together."

"Oh, so you're saying you don't remember unprofessionally making fun of these giant paws of mine?" Ralph grumbled out, shaking one huge paws of his- which he then happened to notice was almost larger than Surge's whole _head_. "And you don't recall asking if I happened to be part _hippopotamus_ due to my large size?"

 _"I'll_ be the one asking the questions here tonight, sir," the greyhouse barked out, his voice sharp and pointed as Ralph just rolled his eyes.

Suddenly the greyhouse began to circle around the mastiff, continuing in his sniffing and exanimation now that he had finally gathered all the 'vital' information he needed from sniffing Ralph's rear end.

"Where are you coming from?" Surge finally asked outloud, eyeing Ralph suspiciously.

Watching as the greyhound made his way around him, the large dog couldn't help stared back at him ridiculously.

"Uh, the city _right next to Arcadia!"_

"And where are you heading?" the greyhound pressed, somehow disregarding Ralph's sharp tone.

"Arcadia! Duh!!" the mastiff hissed threateningly. Whether he was a real cop or not, or whether it was in his DNA to be annoying or not, Surge was pushing _way_ too many of Ralph's buttons tonight.

"Just making sure, sir," the greyhound confirmed as he finally came to a stop right before Ralph's face. "Anything else to declare?"

Seeing an opportunity, Ralph finally responded with a smirk and a sarcastic remark.

"I hate you," he deadpanned.

"I get that a lot. But you may proceed," Surge droned as he finally unblocked Ralph's path. Taking one last weary glance the mastiff's way, the greyhound slipped back into his place in the shadow of the sign.

Shaking his head in pure awe of how he tolerated the greyhound for so long, Ralph rolled his eyes but quickly continued on his way- deciding that it'd be best not to press his luck.

As he quickly scattered from the scene, the mastiff felt his negative thoughts shifting from the annoying greyhound back to a much larger frustration in his life...

His bad-dog life itself.


	8. Chapter 7: Bad Dog Coming

**Chapter 7: Bad Dog Coming**

As he continued to lumber home, Ralph bearly acknowledged that he was passing by Bowser's home on Mario Dr, then Clyde's house on PacMan Ln. All he could focus on was getting home, which was just one more street over now. Down the one little rinky-dink road that'd lead him to Mr.Litwak's Pet Shop at the end of it.

Kicking a stone angrily out of the way, the massive pooch lowered his head and kept on his way, getting more and more annoyed by the falling mist... and by what had been said back at the Bad-Anon meeting.

 _Those mutts said they understood...yeah, right._ He narrowed his eyes as the light drizzle that had begun to fall from the clouds above him became a little heavier, making the air seem even thicker. _None of those stupid mutts seem to get what it's like be as big or as clumsy or as quick-tempered as I am._..

 _And_ _none of them_ _are compared to Mr. Perfect Paws back at_ _Mr.Litwak's_ _like_ _I am,_ _that's_ _for sure,_ Ralph thought mockingly with a low growl. _They don't get what it's like to be judged as a bad dog, seen as a bad dog all your life- and now made even worse with adorable Felix being around._..

 _Those dogs_ _don't understand any of it at all! _he sighed hopelessly, his heart pounding in rage- and pain. _No one really does...and no one really cares, either._..

Suddenly coming to the stop sign at the end of the long road he was on, Ralph half-heartedly sighed and then looked miserably up at the sky. Maybe he was looking for an answer, a sign written in the sky...wishing to look _anywhere_ than down at his stupid, abnormal, good-for-nothing huge paws.

But all looking up did for the disheartened mastiff was get more drizzle than his eyes could handle.

Lowering his head in order to shield his eyes again, Ralph looked down the empty street to the right of him- surprised that he was already at the road his home was on. He guessed mentally bellyaching about his horrible life did make the trek home seem a lot shorter than it did when he departed earlier that night.

As he mosied down his ill-lit, bumpy street, Ralph's mind filled with the DNA thing they had talked about back the meeting...

And the more he chewed over it, the more he regrettably questioned just how right he had been back there.

Maybe -just maybe- Ralph had been wrong. Maybe his adamant stubbornness had been for the incorrect cause this whole time.

Ralph really _did_ do a lot of things that a standard, everyday bull mastiff would do, after all- things that seem to come naturally for him...Just like it was in hishis DNA...

He was always guarding, whether he really wanted to or not, whether he was even _conscious_ of it or not...He was somewhat quiet, not much for conversation with other animals or barking at strange humans unless provoked enough...He was built big and powerful- and often could use it to his advantage...

Just like an everyday bull mastiff.

But Ralph also realized that there were things he had or did that _no_ other bull mastiff seemed to have or seemed to do... things that no other _dog_ seemed to have or do. Things that were solely in _his_ personal DNA.

Things like grow obnoxiously large paws and constantly trip over them, for instance. And things like not doing so well with squirrels or rabbits...or **cats**.

As the mere mental image of a feline in all it's 'glory', Ralph shuddered- and quickly abandoned his line of thought. Any line of thinking that lead him to picture _felines_ wasn't a mindset Ralph cared to have.

Instead, he thought about how he often chewed up too many shoes...how he dug too many holes in the yard _(large_ holes, too)...how he was so stinking big in size that it was impossible _not_ to be constantly bumping into the petshop's shelves and accidentally breaking things left and right...

How he was _always_ tripping over something (usually his clumsy, awkwardly large paws)...how he _always_ ate way more than a bowlful of food at each setting...how his voice was _always_ rougher, lower than the average dog's...

Deep down inside, Ralph knew he had no control over any of that, none whatsoever. How he acted or was built so bull mastiff-y or otherwise- it was just who he was. _What_ he was...

So maybe...he really _couldn't_ control if he was a bad or good dog, either? Maybe no matter how hard he fought, no matter how badly he wanted to be... DNA _did_ have everything to do with why he acted the way he acted, why he _was_ everything he was - and he never would get to choose?...

 _So...m_ _aybe I really_ _am_ _doomed to be a bad dog forever?..._

His heart aching even more, the mastiff sighed and kept trudging his way home. He kept his head low- half the reason being due from the drizzle and half due to feeling like pure, nasty scum.

This sickening feeling only got worse when out of the corner of his eye, Ralph suddenly saw two young beagle pups playing outside a few houses ahead. They were playing an exciting and childish game of 'chase the tail' -made all the more fun and challenging in the rain...when they spotted the large bull mastiff heading their way.

"Watch out! Bad dog coming!" one pup shrieked, pushing his friend closer to their home- and without even a moment of hesitation, both raced up the steps and slipped inside into their cozy home through their small doggie door.

Inwardly growling at their reaction to his presence, Ralph rolled his eyes dismissively at the pups and continued on his way... but still couldn't help but feel completely irritated by the comment. He got comments like that often by others for sure- but Ralph couldn't just deny that it still stung him inside every he did.

Narrowing his eyes sharply, Ralph forced his mind back on the road, on his home- although he couldn't help but feel his steps becoming heavier and rougher, as was his sour mood.

 _That kind of judgment isn't fair!_ he mentally hissed, his huge paws pounding on the pavement. _What did I ever do to them, anyway?! What did I ever do to **anyone** here in Arcadia? No one here has any reason to judge me like that!... To say and act and treat me like I'm just a bad dog!..._

Heaving slightly, Ralph decided then and there he was just done.

Done dealing with the stupid DNA arguement. Done with the judgement he got. Done with other animals running away in fear. Done everyone avoiding him...

Done with all the pain and guilt and rejection he felt inside...

Done with just accepting that he was a 'bad dog'.

Shaking his head bitterly, the mastiff noticed that he was only a dozen buildings down from his home now- and the few street lights the road had were annoyingly out again. The pitch black clouds above him looked more and more threateningly close to bursting out a flood of rain at any moment, making the night even darker and most ominous.

But not nearly as dark or as ominous as Ralph felt.

 _Those mutts back at that pathetic meeting may have accepted who they are- but that doesn't mean that I have to, _he growled to himself in determination, finding himself beginning to run home.

It didn't matter _what_ his DNA said; Ralph _wasn't_ going to be the bad dog anymore- nor allow himself to be treated like one ever again.


	9. Chapter 8: Good Dog Coming

**Ch** **apter 8: Good Dog Coming**

As the mastiff started to gain speed as he galloped back home, the black clouds above him seemed to be unable to hold the rain in anymore. A heavy downpour of rain quickly ensued, blinding Ralph all the more on the already pitch black sidewalk he was on.

Unable to see the path ahead of him, a now drenched Ralph forced himself to slow down in speed- afraid he'd accidentally veer off into the road and get hit by an unseen car if he didn't.

 _They really need to get out here and get these overhead street lights fixed,_ he complained mentally, hating that he couldn't see the road right before his paws. _It's too dark when it pours like this..._

Forced himself not to shiver due to the bone-chilling rain seeping through his fur straight to his skin, Ralph suddenly bumped into the side of something. Having to do a double-take, he realized he'd bump into another animal, who mumbled a few choice words at being accidentally bumped into as it scrambled away.

Looking around in shocked, the mastiff realized that he was surrounded by other moving objects- other animals, mostly consisting of dogs. He quickly figured he'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't even detected that many animals were outside on and around the sidewalk despite the poor weather.

Beginning to cautiously make his way around the other animals -all the more tedious while being so _wet_ and practically blinded- the mastiff mumbled irritatedly to himself.

 _Ugh...don't you all have homes to be in right now?_

"Please! Someone _please_ help us!" a desperate yelp further shook Ralph from his thoughts, causing him to halt in his place.

For a moment, the mastiff could only cautiously squint and blink in the direction he swore he had heard the cry come from. In the downpour, he could only make out a seemly abandoned box tucked away between two buildings on the sidewalk, darkly hidden from view.

Precariously peered towards it, Ralph somehow noticed the tucked-away old box was in complete shambles- in fact, it was barely holding up in the pouring, freezing rain. The sides of the box were worn and flimsy, and the top was caved inward- and was deteriorating that much more with each heavy raindrop.

There was no way someone actually _lived_ in that box...could there?

Yet, Ralph swore he heard the voice coming from over there in that area...

And what the voice had said wasn't something he could just dismiss so easily.

His curiosity finally getting the better of him, he ventured closer to the seemingly uninhabited box, peering inside it...

And what he found made his soft heart sink deep into his chest.

A poor, ownerless mother dog and her little puppies were residing inside to the worn box, shaking on top of a damp blanket. They had all been homeless for a while now, Ralph quickly could tell; he found it hard to even determine her or the puppies' breed by all the tangles and mats their poor, unkempt and now _soaked_ fur contained.

The mother dog was leaned over her litter, trying her best to shield her little puppies from the downpour of rain blowing into the box- but there was no real point in doing so. The rain was too heavy, the wind was too strong, and the makeshift box they were in was too frail to offer any protection.

 _"Please!_ Can anyone spare us some food?! I-I can't just leave my litter in this fridged weather to find food for them!" The poor mother strained out weakly again, unable to see the shadow of a large mastiff peering in at her. "I'm desperate! _Please_ help!"

Pausing to nuzzle her soddened puppies, the mother dog sweeped silently for a moment. Her tiny puppies now cuddled beside her started whimpering more and more for food, their voices getting weaker in strength.

The mother, still unable to see Ralph, looked out to the street again, a look of loss and hopelessness written across her wore face.

"Please," she whispered, her voice breaking in pain as she laid her head down in agony and defeat.

Backing slowly away from the box, Ralph instantly felt his heart break for this poor family. They were even more worse off than _he_ was.

Jerking his head desperately back at the other animals scattered along the sidewalk for help, the mastiff instantly became slightly startled -and _appalled_ \- at what he saw there. His heart was pained by the situation with this poor mother...yet everyone else around just continued to pass by the box and all its contents, focused on their own troubles of getting home through the rain.

Each other animal seemed to be beyond just fine with completely ignoring the desperate pleas and the whole hopeless situation with the mother and puppies. They seemed to view the poor family as completely undeserving of any help, of any food or mercy...

But it was too painful for a certain so-called bad dog to ignore.

The rain letting up just slightly, Ralph blinked back the mist in his eyes to look around. He had no idea just how he was going to do it, but he had to get this poor homeless family some food- even if it was just enough to get through the night.

Blinking down the street in the direction he'd come from, Ralph spotted a lonely businessman holding a wind-blown umbrella not too far way. The drenched man was quickly dashing down the path ahead, avoiding the rain the most he could...

And safely clenched to the man's chest was a fast food sack- quickly get drenched as well.

Suddenly moved with a strong sense of pity and determination, an idea hit Ralph like a ton of bricks.

It was time for his super size and unusual power to intimidate to be put to good use.

Abandoning his place by the box, Ralph took off down the road once more. Forcing himself to halt before colliding right into the poor unexpecting man, the mastiff shook his head to regain what his plan was.

Sharply lowering his head, the dog forced his mouth into an impossibly rough snarl. His lips poised and ready, the mastiff let out one of the fiercest and most aggressive growls he had ever mustered, scaring himself a little...

And causing the completely terrified businessman to freeze in place due to panic. He nearly toppled over from shaking so hard.

"G-g-good dog, good... _big and scarry_ dog," the man tried to say as calmly as he could as he shakily backed away...making Ralph unnoticedly roll his eyes as he felt the slight irony of it all.

The petrified man not quite working along with his plan, the mastiff decided to take his 'attack' up a notch. He began to bark threateningly real, sounding like he wanted to rip the man to shreds- and he knew by the looks of himself that he indeed could.

At the huge, intimidating dog's fierce barking, a whole new panic ran through the already shaken man. He quickly shielded his face with the sack of food...

Before slowly getting an idea on how to get this 'savage' dog away from him.

Waving the food sack shakily in front of Ralph's snout, the businessman forced a slight encouraging smile.

"Y-you want a h-hamburger, boy?" the businessman asked the growling dog, begging clear in his shaky voice.

At his words, Ralph intentionally and abruptly stopped barking and growling- and pointedly licked his mastiff lips at the bag of food. In complete relief, the man quickly tossed the bag of food as hard and as far away as he could- then quickly took off in the opposite the second Ralph turn his head towards the abandoned sack of fast food.

Snorting at the man's desperate response, Ralph smirked and shook his head. Maybe being 'big and scary' did have it's advantages sometimes.

As soon the bull mastiff had trotted over to pick up the bag of food, the bag was already starting to fall apart due to the rain- making Ralph question whether this idea was a good one or not. The food inside was probably already soaked as well, practially unedible now...

 _There are no bad ideas when it comes to being a good dog, _Ralph told himself softly, however, as he eyed the saturated bag. _Just_ _try your best to help that others, Ralph...that's all you can do..._

Quickly scooping up the dripping bag of food, the mastiff quickly carried it back over to the shambled box. On the way there, the smell of now soggy french fries and hamburger overwhelmingly filled Ralph's nose as his stomach growled longingly. He was so tempted to devour the whole meal right then and there.

 _No, I've got a bowl of food to go home to_ , he determinedly reminded himself. _This poor little family doesn't._..

Cautiously and slowly approaching the box as to not scare the mother dog, Ralph gently set the fast food bag down in front of her.

"Here you guys go," Ralph called softly, his voice seeping with kindness and compassion for her situation. "It's straight from Burger Time, it smells like. A little soggy- but hopefully still edible, at least."

In response, the mother pooch looked up at Ralph in shock for a moment, able to finally see him clearly as the rain let up lightly... and flinched back.

Gulping, the mastiff knew that look all too well. He knew the mother dog would hiss at him to leave, that she wouldn't dare eat anything he'd ever offer her. She'd threaten to attack him back if he even so dared tried to hurt one of her precious little puppies...

But the shock and worry on the female dog's face quickly turned into pure, unhidden _gratefulness_ as she peered up at the bag of food in front of her now, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

"Thank you...thank you so much," she whispered tearfully, now completely unfazed by the mastiff's large size and demeanor. "You-you saved us...at least to get through another night..."

Although his eyebrows hunched slightly in worry and pity for her last words, Ralph found himself still smiling slightly and kindly at her.

"I live at the petshop just down the road, ya know," he mentioned softly, jerking his head invitingly in the direction of his home. "My owner would be happy to take you guys in an' get ya adopted out...no pressure, of course..."

The mother dog blinked at him for a moment in time, seeming to think over his invitation- but quickly shook her head.

"My puppies and I have too many health problems to be adopted out...," she murmured sadly, wincing as she drew one of her back legs closer to her stomach...revealing a large, untreated laceration on the top part of her leg. "Your owner would probably take one look at me- and want to put me out of my misery..."

Biting his lip, a hole new pain washed over Ralph- gulping down the knot forming in this throat.

"Well, Mr.Litwak is thankfully no vet, heh," he forced himself to chuckle casually in response, a gentle smile on his face, "but he knows a pretty good one around the corner that would be happy to help ya out..."

Once again, the mother blinked up at him for a moment...

Before yet again shaking her head.

"I think it's best not to accept from offer," she admitted softly, a weak smile surfacing on her face as she eyed fondly down at her puppies. "I want to remain with my puppies forever, after all..."

Following her gaze, Ralph eyed down at the puppies as well- and saw that they were cuddled close to their mother. But their little noses picked up the scent of the food quickly- causing them all to excitedly dive-bomb the bag and started to scarf up the food inside immediately. Their little tails wagging happily as they did, the mother watched them with a look of relief and contentment as she herself nibbled on a few stray fries.

One puppy -the marked runt of the group, Ralph noticed- stopped chewing on a bit of a hamburger bun to venture closer to the huge dog before him. It shocked the mastiff that the mother dog even let the puppy do so; all animals seemed to prevent their young from getting too close to the huge and seemingly threatening dog.

Instead of growling at her puppy to get away from such a 'big, dangerous dog', however, the mother dog smiled happily as her puppy had its own way of saying thank you for Ralph's kindness: playfully pawing at the air and smiling widely.

Bending lower to briefly touch noses with the happy, tiny puppy, Ralph felt himself smile softly and affectionately. He always had such a soft spot for little puppies.

Deciding now was the best time to go, the mastiff silently backed up from the box, leaving the now fed family in peace- at the moment at least.

"Well, the door at the petshop is always open if you change your mind," he told the mother softly as he gave them all one last look of hopefulness. "Hang in there..."

And as he walked away, Ralph wasn't able to ignore that the mother dog gave _him_ one last look of gratitude, of appreciation...

One last look of **_approval_** as he left, a look Ralph didn't receive all too often- yet treasured every time he did.

As he continued to lumber off towards home, Ralph's mind suddenly resumed in thinking its swirling mess of emotions and thoughts. It all continued to eat at him, plague him deeply...

But now he couldn't help but smile ever so slightly more, feeling a little happier and better inside.


	10. Chapter 9: Good Dog Throw Down

**Chapter** **9:** **Good Dog Throw Down**

The rare bit of happiness Ralph felt was short lived and got sapped, however, as he got further down the street. As he got near the building he called home, the mastiff realized this was no ordinary evening at Mr.Litwak's Pet Shop.

Loud dancing music was blaring from the pet shop's walls, making the ground tremble and shake around it. Bright, shiny lights inside slightly blinded the mastiff- yet was a strange force that pulled him closer and caused him to quicken his pace towards its source.

Conversational talking and laughter were heard even when Ralph still several yards ahead of the shop- and he could've sworn he smells various types of dog treats spilling out of the pet shop as well.

For a split moment in ignorance, Ralph was puzzled as to why the pet shop was hopping so much after hours- and why just _he_ hadn't known about the so-called party event going on.

 _It_ _sounds like they are celebrating something_ , he mused, _something big..._

And just like that, it clicked in his mind: every animal inside Ralph's home must be celebrating the five-year anniversary of the pet shop...

And had somehow forgotten to invite the very guard dog of said pet shop to their shindig.

Actually, up until now, Ralph realized, he didn't know there was even _going_ to be an anniversary party- no one felt the need to let him know...

No one talked about it happening, either, and no mention of any planning of it was spoken to him...or even around him...

In fact, the mastiff hadn't even heard about a _rumor_ , a little whisper going around the pet shop that there was going to be a big party to celebrate the anniversary tonight. Nothing. Zilch.

It was as if the celebration was kept a secret...a secret everyone in the pet shop knew about...

But somehow had failed to include Ralph in...

"They're having a party...," he murmured softly to himself, slowly connecting the painfully clear dots, "without _me..."_

Like a feared monster, the horrible truth suddenly raised its ugly head as to what was truly going on in the pet shop- causing the mastiff to growl slightly. In growing embarrassment and rejection, he hung his head lower to the pavement than before, the lighter raindrops suddenly seeming to pound hard against his back.

 _Who am I kidding? This party was no secret!_ Ralph inwardly screamed at himself. _E_ _veryone_ _here knew about this, probably for **weeks** now! Everyone probably had a part in planning it, too, getting things ready for it, being excited about it..._

 _All except me..._

The group of animals at the pet shop hadn't just 'forgotten' to invite Ralph. Didn't just 'fail' to include him in the party...

They all had chosen deliberately to prevent him from knowing any knowledge about the celebration, stop him from helping plan the festivity. Thus, they purposely **excluded** him from being part of the party itself.

Excluded him- all anyone seemed to do in Ralph's life these days... and something he was getting really sick and tired of. Especially on such a big night for the pet shop.

 _...And that's why Felix __was so pushy about me going to the Bad-Anon meeting_ _tonight!_ Ralph suddenly realized, his heart burning in pain and in further embarrassment. _He didn't want me to find out about the party!!... And I fell for it like a complete moron!!_

Feeling lower and more irritated than ever before, Ralph huffed in anger as he marched up to the front entrance window of the shop. He angrily peered through the glass, so tall he didn't even have to stretch his legs or feet in order to see clearly the scene before him...

And said scene made his stomach worst than he ever imagined that it could.

Ralph's eyes first landed on Gene the pug, who was sliding around on the makeshift dance floor in an open area before the front desk.

 _Ugh, of course Gene got invited instead of me! _Ralph rolled his eyes in disgust as his breath fogged up the glass a little bit. _He's pretty much the self-proclaimed mayor of the entire pet shop..._

He watched with growing annoyance as the smug fawn pug clearly showed off his dance moves to Mary, the sweet maltese of the group- but she just rolled her eyes at Gene's flirting, causing Ralph to smirk. Mary was too smart to fall for a jerk like Gene; she deserved better, the mastiff felt.

Continuing to peer curiously inside, Ralph saw Dina (or was it Deanna? he couldn't ever remember) as she stood in one corner of the room, swaying her little beagle head to the beat of a song playing so loud it pained Ralph's ears- and that was being _outside_. He didn't care to imagine how loud it must be inside the pet shop.

Something white and fluffy on top of the front desk caught Ralph's eye- and as he leaned in a bit, he saw that it was Skrillex the rabbit making all the loud music happen. The hard-core hare was bouncing a little in place, ready to place the next disc into Mr.Litwak's old CD player on his desk.

Looking around through the slowly fogging up glass, Ralph saw everyone he knew from the pet shop was partying away happily- none paying any attention to the miserable, rejected mutt staring them down just outside.

Clouding up the glass that much more, Ralph's harboring feelings got even worse when he saw Pac-Man munching up all the kibbles from an open bag of dog food. Sure, the said annoying little terrier was 'famous' around town, so much so he even had a street named after him, Ralph knew...

Still, even _Pac-Man_ had no valid reason to have gotten an invite to party in the pet shop- and not Ralph.

"They invited _Pac-Man?!"_ the mastiff growled indignantly, pushing his nose up close to the window to see the small terrier more clearly. "That tail-chasing, kibble muncher isn't even a part of this _pet shop!_ _"_

Heaving slightly in pure anger, Ralph continued to peer inside desperately- and as Glen the turtle shuffled out the way finally, the mastiff spotted the very 'Dog of the Hour'. The one who _all_ the female dogs batted their eyes at and who all the male dogs wanted to hang out with. The one dog had made the shop have so much success these past five years, the one who was the very mascot of the pet shop...

And the very low-down pooch who convinced Ralph to go to that stupid Bad-Anon meeting in the first place.

Felix the corgi. The half-size, pint-size, over-the-top adorably cute corgi.

Felix _was_ pretty adorable, even a detested Ralph had to admit, especially while the corgi danced the night away in the middle of the dance floor.

His huge, blue button eyes shined as brightly as the lights overhead of him did. His cute little nose crinkled up as he smiled his capturing, appealing smile. His tubby little legs wiggling excited as well as his little bob tail to the beat of the music. He danced clumsily around on the dance floor, his beautiful, rich orange fur separated perfectly from his white patches of fur on his stomach, face, and paws.

Felix' rot-your-teeth-out sweetness seemed to flow from the end of his nose straight to the tip of his stubby tail. He seemed to just be so naturally happy, so free. So _accepted._

And over-the-top, disgustingly _good_.

Ralph watched with unhidden jealousy in his eyes as Felix tried to keep up with the line dance suddenly being formed, but the uncoordinated little pooch failed miserably- and ended up falling splat on his stomach instead.

Yet, nobody made fun of him, no one rolled their eyes at him. No one animal called him clumsy, even. Everyone around the slightly blushing corgi just laughed off his falling down and helped him stand up, finding his failing incredibly cute.

 _And why **wouldn't** they find his every mistake cute?! _Ralph hissed bitterly. _Everything that dog does everyone finds cute! He's the definition of a cute dog. He's the definition of a top dog..._

Felix the corgi was the definition of a _good_ dog.

And as Ralph watched said good dog blushed even deeper... eyed angrily as the corgi stood up and smiled sheepishly before dancing again... snarled as the fellow dog just lapped up all that precious attention, taking it all for granted...

Never _once_ understanding what it's like not to have everyone love him...

Merely looking at Felix now ate Ralph alive more than it ever had before as he watched the corgi have the time of his life inside _their_ pet shop.

Finally, as the bad dog stood shaking he was so angry under the shop's eave, Ralph decided he couldn't take it anymore. He was _not_ going to be the dog no one wanted at their party (he had awesome dance moves, too!).

The mastiff was _not_ just going to stand out there freezing his tail off as he watched the animals inside dance and enjoy the night away. He was _not_ going to let them make fun of him, disregard him, judge him, hate him... _exclude_ him anymore...

Ralph the guard dog was _done_ with being the bad dog, after all.

Completely determined, Ralph sharply finished shaking all the rainwater off him... and wearily turned to eye the small doggie door in the shop's front door.

He didn't care if they invited him or not; he was going to _crash_ this party...

Deeply sucking in his stomach, the bull mastiff just silently hopefully he didn't take that so _literally_.


	11. Chapter 10: Panic Striken

**Chapter 10:** **Panic Stricken**

Trying not to break down the front door (or get permanently stuck in the small opening said door had), Ralph had just wiggled his head far enough through the doggy door when everyone inside finally started to notice him.

Every animal stopped dancing as the upbeat music playing was scratched to a stop suddenly. Light-hearted conversations and laughter ended abruptly and were replaced with twitching eyes and quivering lips as all eyes in the pet shop landed on Ralph.

At this point, everyone looked at the mastiff with a sense of shock or fear on their faces... or a mixture of both, Ralph really couldn't tell. He was too busy trying to get his head unstuck and the rest of his body through the doggy door.

Seeing that everyone had noticed at his unexcepted arrival, though, Ralph paused in his wiggling and sported a cheeky smile.

"Hey-Oh, everybody!" he called out as cheerfully as he could, despite resuming his struggling and groaning just to fit the rest of his body through the small door.

Everyone just continued to crouch in silence, bodies tense as they peered at him with gaped mouths- as if they all were still unsure as to what they were really seeing...

Before Ralph could pause to pant in exhaustion or say anything to put all the scared animals at ease, sheer panic at his sudden appearance seemed to hit everyone all at once. Pure chaos quickly ensued the once relaxed party as every animal in the pet shop began to scatter, screeching in fear as they sought protection from Ralph- causing Ralph's hopes to go crashing down.

On a high shelf, the turtles in their terrarium shrieked piercingly- causing the mastiff to cringe in pain. The hamsters and mice, despite safely out of reach to the large pooch, scurried frantically around and around in their cage. Up on the desk, Skrillex hoped out of sight, cowarding behind the desk chair. Even the beautiful angelfish in the large 100-gallon tanks -who had no real need to fear him- retreated to their fake castles to seek refuge from the intruding dog.

And that was just the animals high up, out of the 'danger zone'; there was even _more_ mayhem on the petshop's floor, level with Ralph's huge head.

The mastiff watched in mounting horror as all of the various types of dogs once partying now disbanded into different directions, all seeking shelter from... _him_. Yet again.

"It's the bad dog!" Deanna (or Dina) cried as she backed away as far away as she could from the doggy door, terror and dismay in her voice.

As she scrambled backward, however, the beagle accidentally backed into a bag of opened dog food, spilling its contents everyone... just as Mary came yapping frantically through- and ended up slipping and sliding all over the dog food. Unable to get her footing, the maltese ended up tripping across the floor...

And right up Ralph's face, which was still the only part of him that was able to fit through the frame of the doggy dog.

Before Ralph could even speak a word, a terrified Mary quickly took off yelping in panic, running and hiding behind a large shelf.

"He'll wreck the party!" Bob the labradoodle exclaimed, trying to hide behind the fish tank stand.

"Forget about the party!" Pac-Man screeched, retreating behind a bag of cat food as he peeked around it. "He'll wreck _us!"_

"Now, now, everyone calm _down!"_ a calm, level-headed voice suddelnly called out, full of a rich southern accent...

And instantly, as if by magic, everyone turned to see the owner of the voice -Felix the corgi himself- as he stood in the middle of all the chaos...and every shaking, nervous animal seemed to calm down and relax ever so slightly. Some blinked back scared tears and others just stepped a little further out from their hiding place. They all even seemed to _smile_ a little, comforted and soothed by his calming, soft words.

Felix always had that kind of mystifyingly calming effect on others- and for once, Ralph was happy the corgi did.

Seeing all his friends in the shop were a little less tense, a little less stressed than before, Felix quickly pranced over to stand in front of Ralph's head- and turning towards the others as if guarding them from the guard dog himself.

"It's all ok!" the corgi continued loudly, trying to sound as confident as he could as a slight, gentle smile appeared on his face. "Everyone, just stay calm and breathe!"

Rolling his eyes mockingly, Ralph sighed in annoyance. Not _this_ speech again.

As his dark brown eyes rolled back down, the bitter mastiff fully excepted to have his eyes land on Felix' perfect little corgi butt again- but he was shocked to see Felix had turned back to peer at him...

And that the small dog wasn't striking the same look of horror that the others were.

Felix' face wasn't steaming with anger at Ralph's appearance, either, nor was he nervous or panicked. Instead, the corgi's face was calm, cool, collected- as it normally was... and just when Ralph thought he saw a trace of actual, honest-to-goodness _acceptance_ on his colleague's small, heart-shaped face...

It was chased away by that old, disgusting, marked look of _pity_ Felix often sported in connection to the mastiff- which irked Ralph enough to flatten his ears at his humiliating situation and to shrink back a little bit.

"Everything is going to be ok," the corgi continued confidently as he turned back towards the group, "our party is ok-"

"No, it's _not!"_ An annoying voice interrupted from the back of the room. "This is _not_ ok, Felix!"

Every pair of eyes bounced from looking at Felix to peering at the owner of the other dog's voice. Looking around Felix himself, Ralph couldn't help but roll his eyes even more and shrink back a little further.

Why he felt the need to look to see who it was speaking, the mastiff had no idea. He didn't really even need to see who that voice belonged to; he already well knew who it was. No one else's voice made Ralph's fur _crawl_ quite the way this pooch's voice did, after all.

Glaring, Ralph snarled as Gene the pug pranced closer to the middle of the room.

 _Of course_ it had to be Gene, the stinking low-down pug.

"Ralph is **not** welcomed here- and that's final!" the said pug hissed, his eyes shooting glares back at Ralph- obviously more annoyed with the presence of the mastiff than in fear of him. In fact, he was the only animal (other than Felix) not cowarding in fear or hiding behind anything...

Although Ralph secretly wished the pug _had_ been. Of all the animals who could be cowarding behind something and afraid of Ralph, _avoiding_ him, why couldn't it have been _Gene?_

The pug narrowed his eyes further as he stalked over to where Felix now nervously sat and where Ralph's head was. There was only anger and rejection and... pure _hate_ in Gene's eyes as they glared down at Ralph.

"Can I speak with you for a minute, Felix... _alone?!"_ Gene growled out as he approached, his dark eyes now pointedly sharp at a sheepish-looking Felix.

In response, the corgi quickly avoided the deathly glares the pug was now giving _him_ and rapidly nodded his head in agreement. As the two small dogs quickly walked a couple of yards aside to speak privately, Gene made it a point to look behind and shoot Ralph one last look of true disgust...

Causing the mastiff to look away and resume his struggling to get through the small doggy door. He well knew that what Gene and Felix were going to talk about wasn't going to be good... and that was Ralph himself.


	12. Chapter 11: Duck-Favored Guilt Trip

**Chapter 11** : **Duck-Flavored** **Guilt Trip**

Finally out of earshot of all the others, Felix and Gene hadn't been alone for more than five seconds when the temperamental pug exploded.

"Why is Ralph here?!" he hissed furiously yet quietly to the corgi. "I thought I told you to tell him to go to _that stupid bad dog meeting_ tonight!"

"I-I did!" Felix quickly yipped in response, his weak voice beyond flabbergasted. "And I was able to convince him to go! In fact, I saw him leavin' to go to it earlier!"

"So why is he back so early, hm?!" the pug countered, his growl not any less intense. "He was supposed to be gone _all evening_ \- and only come back _after_ the party ended and we got things cleaned up!!"

"I guess their meetin' ends earlier than we thought it would...," Felix shook his head, shrugging his small shoulders helplessly. "I've never been to a bad dog meetin' before, so I wouldn't know how long it would last! It was just a _guess_ that it would last all evenin'!"

Trembling he was so upset, Gene closed his eyes and growled out angrily at the situation at hand.

" _Ugh!_ Why does Ralph have to ruin everything?!" he exaggerated harshly, his voice filled with a spite that made Felix wince.

"Well...him bein' here doesn't _have_ to ruin everythin'!" the ever-optimistic corgi chirped, wagging his tail slightly in positivity. "Maybe Ralph can just come in, stay for a little bit and-"

"And completely ruin our party?!" Gene harshly intruded, his sharp voice cutting into the corgi like a sword. "A party _we've_ been planning for weeks now- and purposely kept from the very bad dog at the door?! I don't think so, Felix!" he croaked stubbornly. "I'm _not_ going to let some stupid, worthless guard dog destroy our party!!"

At the pug's sharp, cruel words, Felix winced slightly yet again. Gene had always had a harsh, intense dislike for Ralph- but _this_ was beyond dislike. This was just rejection, judgement... _hatred_...

Which Felix knew deep down Ralph didn't deserve.

With growing guilt and worry, the corgi peered over his shoulder at Ralph- who was now ignoring everyone as he tried his hardest to finish squeezing his way through the small doggy door. He had somehow contorted his body enough to slip one of his enormous front paws through the tiny opening, and was now working on getting his other one through as well. Everyone else around stood back aways from the mastiff, as if afraid he'd break down the door frame suddenly and squish them all flat.

 _Ralph doesn't deserve all of this_ , Felix thought mentally as he softly sighed in remorse, his large, rounded ears flattening up against his head. _He_ _has never deserved this kind of treatment..._

"Aw now, c'mon, Gene!" The kind-hearted corgi finally voiced to the pug, trying to avoid all conflict as he turned back to weakly reason with Gene. "Ralph's probably just wantin' to come in... for a bite to eat or somethin'."

Felix' ears suddenly perked up a little as he found his eyes drifting back towards Ralph again.

"He left so fast to go to that meetin' that I bet he forgot to eat the food Mr.Litwak set out for him," he quickly reasoned, "and those 'ole rascal raccoons ate it up again."

At the corgi's weak excuse, Gene just mockingly rolled his eyes.

"Well, if that's the case, then Ralph can just _wait_ until our party is over before he can eat!" he hissed, his tone seeping with complete disregard for the fellow dog in question. "He can survive a few extra hours without food...actually, he's so fat, he could go a few extra _days_ without eating," he snorted out harshly as an afterthought, smirking in the direction of the struggling mastiff.

Biting his lip, Felix flattened his large ears and shrunk back again. Gene could be so awful mean and rude sometimes- especially when it came to Ralph's size.

"Why don't we ask Ralph if he needs anythin'?" the corgi finally sighed, forcing his voice to be light and encouraging. "Then maybe we can go get him whatever he needs, and-"

"-And he'll leave the party alone before he wrecks it," the pug finished for him, his voice sounding embittered... yet persuaded a little. "If he gets what he needs and leaves, then we can resume our party..."

The pug trailed off for a moment, peering thoughtfully over at the corgi- only to see that Felix had began tagging his tail in relief.

"But that's all Ralph would get," Gene quickly warned Felix before the corgi jumped on the idea of inviting the mastiff inside. "He does _not_ get to come all the way inside the pet shop, let alone gets to stay inside!"

Still in pure excitement that he had somehow avoided some potentially explosive conflict, Felix wiggled in happiness.

"Oh, great! That's a very good plan, Gene!" he gushed, his baby blue eyes glowing. "Why don't we go over and talk about it with Ralph-"

"Oh, it's not 'we'," Gene quickly corrected him, shaking his head indignantly. "It's _you_ who is going to go talk to him."

His wide blue eyes doubling in size, Felix froze in horror, his ears animatedly squished down against his head.

"What?!" he whined out, physically slumping. "Why _me?!"_

"As I told you before, you're the only one out of all of us who can actually _stand_ being around that mutt, let alone _talk_ to him," Gene replied casually as if it was obvious, already starting to push Felix in Ralph's direction. "Plus, you were able to convince him to leave _last_ time- why wouldn't you be able to this time as well?"

"Well, I- uh, I'm not, um-" the trembling corgi stumbled out before he tripped over one of his paws. He would've landed face-first onto the hard floor underneath him had he not caught himself in time.

"YOU'RE going to ask him what he wants," the pug further pressured him, still shoving him along. "And make sure you make it clear to that oversized mutt that he's _not_ welcomed in here!"

"I-I don't know about this, Gene," Felix admitted worriedly as he was pushed along. "I'm not really the, uh... _harsh_ , _stern_ type," he found himself trailing off as he forced his eyes on where Ralph was, still struggling to fit through the pet door...

"You'll be fine!" Gene told him frankly. "Just remember: do what you have to do to _get rid_ of him!" The pug told the corgi harshly yet softly so Ralph couldn't hear as they ventured closer and closer to him.

With one final push from the pug, Felix was launched forward, tripping over his perfect paws again as he stumbled forward. Quickly finding his footing, the corgi bit his lip again as he crawled back towards the doggy dog- all eyes, including the ones belonging to the bull mastiff himself, eyeing him curiously.

Forcing himself to breathe deeply, Felix ignored the gnawing in his stomach and moved forward. His soft-hearted conscience still greatly bothered him for deceitfully convincing Ralph to leave town and go to that bad dog meeting earlier...

And this plan of just getting Ralph what he wanted and then ditching him high and dry wasn't any better, the corgi knew...

 _But if it keeps the peace and the anniversary party goin'_ , he faulty readoned, _maybe it's for the best?..._

* * *

Sucking his gut as much as it would allow himself to, Ralph shocked everyone when he finally finished forcing himself through the doggy door- although such tight squeezing noticeably caused several cracks in the weak pet door frame.

 _"Finally!"_ the mastiff sighed out in relief, stumbling forward and allowing his large stomach to fill out. He peered around at the others, most of whom just cowered that much more in fear now that Ralph was officially inside the pet shop...

Except for a certain scowling pug, of course... and a certain petrified corgi slowly approaching.

"Uh, h-hey, Ralph," Felix began cautiously, his eyes written with clear worry and hesitancy as he continued to creep forward. "Looks like you finally got through that doggy dog...quite an awful tight squeeze, huh, hehe..."

"You got that right, Felix," Ralph chuckled good-naturally...causing Felix to wince a little more. "I feel like I can actually _breathe_ again."

As Felix cringed out a smile and shared in the awkward chuckle, he conspicuously eyed back at Gene, his blue eyes screaming for the pug's intervention. When Gene just glared back at him and pointedly nodded, the corgi allowed his ears to flop down again.

"Well...now that you're finally inside, why don't you and I step _outside_ to speak for a moment? In privacy?" Felix then pressed, forcing his voice to remain as serious and steady as he could make it. "To...chat?"

His eyebrows hunched down, Ralph cocked his lip up a little in confusion. Felix never just wanted to chat with him...at least not with the others around.

"I mean, yeah, sure... we can talk, but...why do we need to go back outside to do that?" the mastiff gently questioned, his tone puzzled. "It's pouring _poodles_ out there! Besides, I just got in here- and don't really care to squeeze back through that doggy door again, ya know...," he continued cautiously to reason with Felix- watching curiously as Felix' face fell considerably.

"Uh...well," the corgi stuttered out, his eyes twitching slightly as he side-eyed Gene again in for his next line. That wasn't what Felix excepted the mastiff to say...

The pug was no help in providing Felix' next move, however. He just jerked his head back toward the door, making his point clear that much more.

 _Do what you have to do to get rid of him!_

"IT'SKINDASTUFFYINHERE!" Felix suddenly rushed out a little too fast and loud for Ralph to decipher, his tone beyond desperate for the mastiff to just agree with...well, whatever he'd just said.

When the mastiff just cocked his head down at him in confusion, the corgi gulped and forced his words to come out slower and clearer.

"It's, er, kinda stuffy in here," he said more softly- although his tone had just seemed grown in desperation. "And I, uh...need a break from the loud music somethin' awful, ya know, hehe..."

Slowly growing more and more suspicious, Ralph narrowed one eye at Felix... but decided he could believe the corgi's words. Disregarding the fact that this same dog had tricked him into attending that bad-dog meeting eariler (which Ralph now had a qualm that had something to do with Gene), the mastiff considered the small dog too good not to be trusted...

And Felix regrettably and contritely knew that, too.

"Well, ok...I guess we can step outside for a moment, then," Ralph finally yet wearily complied- causing Felix to slightly sigh in relief.

Although he verbally was fine with it, the mastiff exhaustedly deflated a bit when he eyed the small doggy door again, causing him to shudder at the thought of stuffing his large body back through it. He couldn't help but mentally curse whoever thought it'd be smart to make pet doors so small- especially after Felix just hoped through that same doggy door with great ease.

With renewed jealousy of his small colleague sort, Ralph discreetly rolled his eyes and lumbered in suit after the corgi, shoving his head back through the pet door- only this time heading the opposite direction he had earlier.

Embarrassingly ramming himself through the small opening yet again, the massive dog practically strained as hard as he could to squeeze himself through- just to end up flopping out onto the little welcome mat before the pet shop. He finally stood ungracefully up and shook off his vexing fall, ignoring the mocking chuckles he could hear somewhere inside the pet shop.

Before him, Felix sat in silence for a moment, obviously uncomfortable by some invisible force Ralph couldn't see. Instead of speaking, the two dogs silently eyed the torrential rains that was now dumping out of the sky again, a sight that caused both dogs to shiver slightly. They were both unspokenly thankful that the pet shop had a nice, big awning, safely protecting them from getting completely drenched.

The calming, constant sound of the rain pounding against the said marquee was the only sound heard for a few quiet moments, both Felix and Ralph noticeably awkward by the others' silence. Finally formulating an idea of what he wanted to say, Felix broke the quiet- although he looked even more hesitant than before.

"So, uh, Ralph," the corgi began as casually as he could muster, his tone painfully torturous and nervous. Craning his head all the way back just to look at the massive dog in the face, Felix forced a cringy smile. "What can I help you with on this fine evenin'? You kinda, uh... snuck up on us there, hehe."

"Well, um..." Ralph began before subconsciously biting his lip, unsure if he really wanted to continue in his line of thought.

For some odd reason, he couldn't openly admit that he just wished to join them in the merrymaking, to have fun with them...to be _included_ for once. It all just seemed too embarrassing to admit out loud- especially to someone who'd never begin to understand what it must felt like, nonetheless.

So instead of just asking to be formally invited to the anniversary party, the mastiff reached deep inside his mind for a semi-reasonable sounding excuse.

"I couldn't help but, uh...hear all the loud _music_ booming inside the pet shop," Ralph finally stumbled out with a slight, sincere wag of his tail. "So...um, I just wanted to make sure the music wasn't _so loud_ it was...ah, making everyone deaf or, you know, anything like that."

 _Yeah, nice,_ the mastiff mentally cringed. _That sounded really smart, Ralph._

"Oh, yeah," Felix answered, his voice a little less nervous than before. "Um, that's just Skrillex at the CD player Mr.Litwak has. That bunny sure has a way with music!" He smiled awkwardly up at Ralph, his own tail wagging slightly.

The mastiff nodded with a forced grimace, unsure of how to respond for an awkwardly long moment.

 _Say something, you big dummy!_ he screamed at himself. _Say anything! Don't just stand here! _

"Yeah, totally...Well, uh, is this party for somebody _birthday_ or...?" Ralph finally ask, playing as dumb as he could- which he miserably knew wasn't too big of a stretch for Felix to believe.

"Oh, well, uh..." the corgi responded, completely unsure if he should tell Ralph the truth or not...but without Gene out here to give him cues, Felix realized, he was on his own. "It's more of an... _anniversary_ party, really..."

He paused long enough to scrape the top of his small white-tipped paw over the concrete gently, worry seaping from his voice. "The 5-year anniversary of the pet shop, actually."

Forcing his eyes to widen, Ralph pretended to look dumbfounded.

"What?" he screeched a little too loudly, his voice overly-dramatic. "Is that today?!"

"Yeah...It _is!_ And I know!" Felix agreed quickly, his eyes squished up in a cute way in understanding- although something inside told him that Ralph was just fibbing. "It really snuck up on us, huh??"

Briefly nodding, Ralph fakely laughed as he dismissively shook his head.

"Man, I have such a horrible memory...," he lied yet again, rolling his eyes at his 'forgetfulness'. "Anyway, uh, _congratulations_ ," he pointed nodded at the corgi, hoping he'd catch the hint.

"Thank you...And to you, too, Ralph," Felix just kindly returned, hoping that would cut the conversation short.

But the awkwardness between the two just continued as Ralph proceeded to stand still, eyeing down Felix slightly with expectation- as the corgi somewhat did the same with the mastiff.

Just when neither thought they could stand the silent uneasiness anymore, a turtle head suddenly appeared through the doggy dog.

"Hey, Felix," the turtle mumbled, his voice dry and monotone. "We got the mess cleaned up, and now Mary was wanting to know when she needs to bring out the container with the new treats."

Frantically turning towards the turtle, Felix winced.

"Uh...now is fine," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Just bring them out now, Glen!"

"Great," the ennui reptile droned before turning to give a stink eye to Ralph. Glaring, he slowly slipped back inside.

Ignoring the rude turtle, Ralph turned to look at Felix in surprise.

"New treats?" he asked pointedly, his voice full of hope. "The new favored Dent-a-Sticks came into today, huh?"

At his words, Felix just shrunk down lower. He knew where this was going- and _really_ didn't like it.

"They're duck flavored," he admitted slightly... then wondered why in the boo he had to go and say that out loud.

Smirking slightly, Ralph eyed down at his colleagues' shrunken form, happy the naive corgi had admitted that little piece of information out loud. The mastiff now could use something he _knew_ Felix couldn't resist...

A painful guilt trip.

Sporting a fake look of wonder, Ralph raised his eyebrows down at him.

" _Duck_ flavored, eh?" he mused softly, thoughtfully peering up in wonderment. "I've _never_ had one of _them_ before. Mr.Litwak's never given me one... being, you know, the outside dog and all..."

His smile faulting at Ralph's marked look of sudden sadness, Felix just wagged his little tail sheepishly as he tried to slip closer to the doggy door- seeing even more clearly where all of this was heading.

"I've always _wanted_ try a duck-flavored treat, ya know," Ralph then slyly added as his eyes became glued to the shuffling corgi, deeply peering into Felix' big blue eyes.

Looking away forcefully, Felix's eyes shrunk considerably as he squished his cute little nose up... but it didn't really matter at that point anymore. He well knew his soft corgi heart couldn't ignore the empty look Ralph was giving him, _sincerely_ this time, too...

Gulping back a knot, Felix knew he couldn't give in, let Ralph come inside, but...

Every part of his good dog blood couldn't help but be kind and considerate- and Ralph knew it, too.

"I suppose... you wouldn't want to come inside and have one, would ya?" The corgi finally asked awkwardly, tilting his head towards the doggy door as he wagged his stub tail gently...

All the while gulping back another huge knot in his corgi throat as one thought raced through his mind.

 _Gene is going to kill me._


	13. Chapter 12: Bowl Blues

**Chapter 12: Bowl Blues**

Once again with mystifying ease, Felix hopped through the small doggy- though he looked quite more guilty than before as he lowered his head and ears. If he had a tail, it would've been tucked between his legs something awful as he lumbered slightly forward, gulping in order to make his sand-paper mouth wet again.

His shamefulness only increased as Gene came scurrying up to him. Cowering that much more, Felix winced when he saw how the pug's face was filled with eagerness- yet screamed doubt at the same time.

"Well?" The squished-up pooch asked pushingly, eyeing around the corgi a little too eagerly. "Did you get rid of-"

"Watch out!" Dina/Deanna shrieked suddenly, her voice beyond panicked as she darted away from her place by the doggy door.

Everyone watched in mounting horror as Ralph's humongous head suddenly appeared through the pet door, followed quickly by sounds of grunting and groaning as he pushed and contorted and forced his equally large body the rest of the way through. He amazed all present as he quickly and desperately twisted his neck, then stretched his huge paws, then somehow _shoved_ his large stomach to fit through such a small opening- and for the third time that night, the petite doggy door cracked in protest that much more.

 _Hey, I'm getting quite good at this_ , the mastiff thought semi-proudly, his two incredible, powerfully strong front paws stretching and pulling almost the rest of his midsection through-

When the rusty hinges on the weakening, straining doggy door frame suddenly gave way completely. As it did, the doggy door frame broke off the front door- which made Ralph go tripping and crashing face-first into the pet shop floor.

Blushing beat-red in embarrassment, the mastiff stumbled to his paws and began trying to wiggle off the trapped frame around his step-section. He quickly got frustrated, causing him to resort to flopping down and pushing the door frame off with his massive back paws, pressing the door frame up closer to his head.

As he watched as his sworn enemy did so, an infuriated Gene stared mutely at the huge hole in the front door where the doggy door had been... before turning to glared harshly at Felix.

" _This is not 'getting rid' of him!!!"_ the pug hissed out with tightly clenched teeth. _"What happened out there, Felix?!"_

Blushing at the scowling, Felix stared at the ground, unable to answer the upset pug except with a weak, helpless shrug.

Finally pushing it off with one last powerful shove, the dog door frame came catapulting off Ralph's head, landing on the floor with a loud, startling crash. Before him, everyone just froze in place and cautiously eyed each other- completely unsure if they should run or hide at the now free bad dog inside their home.

Not seeming to notice anyone's fears now, Ralph shook his head with a triumphant smile. As he stood back up to his full towering height, his intimidating size captured the attention of every animal there -even the glowering Gene and the weakening Felix.

"E-evening, Mel," the mastiff began to call out, leaning over to see the small papillion was hiding behind a shelf stacked with dog food. "Lucy, Bill, what's shaking? How goes it, er...Dina?...No, DONA!" Ralph suddenly connected and smirked at remembering her name- despite the hidden beagle mumbling that her name was _actually_ Deanna.

As he politely said his hellos, Ralph ventured forward and accidentally stepped on a side of the thick doggy door frame- causing it to easily snap in half like a feeble twig under his hefty 243 pounds. When everyone winced and tensed up at his untimely mishap, the mastiff abashedly grimaced and cautiously tiptoed around the broken frame. He started to venture further across the pet shop floor- although he now wore a big, goofy grin as he eyed everyone.

The deeper the mastiff walked into the pet shop, and the bigger his smile got, the more Gene's eyes narrowed angrily at Felix.

"Why is he in here?!" the pug pressed the corgi that much more, his voice seething with rage.

"Uh... Ralph's just here for a few of the new treats!" Felix forced out, his tone as chipper as he could make it...and very loud so that the others could know why the massive mutt was inside their home.

At hearing the snooty pug's rude questioning, Ralph abandoned walking towards the others and came over to where Gene stood. Towering over him, the massive mastiff smugly glared down at the sour pug as he leaned closer to his squished up face.

"And I _am_ a big part of the pet shop," Ralph mentioned casually, his voice near mocking the small dog. "Since, you know, I actually have a job as the guard dog here. So, technically speaking, uh... why are _you_ here, Gene?"

As an irritated Gene squished up his face with that much more at the mastiff's obvious jeering, Ralph just smirked down at him with half-lidded, scornful eyes. The boastful large dog figured that as often as Gene had treated him badly these past five years, the snotty little pooch could handle tasting some of his own medicine- and get bugged and demeaned right back.

Plus, Ralph could tell by little twitch in Gene's eye that the mastiff had _finally_ got under his skin, striking a little pug nerve there. And oh, did it feel _great_.

As the two just glared at each, silently daring the other to say something to challenge them, Felix's little legs tensed up beside them, hating the uncomfortableness hanging in the air. He had a feeling Gene and Ralph would have it out for each other if the mastiff stayed- and the sensitive corgi could tell it was only going to get worse from here.

Gulping, the orange-and-white pooch was about to wiggle his way between the two angry, glowering dogs to prevent anything else from happening- but found he didn't need to. Glen thankfully came in scooting a tall tower of dog food bowls into the middle of the room, capturing everyone's attention.

As if on cue, a happy, proud Mary came prancing out next, scooting a huge container of new treats with her as a smile traced across her mouth...which quickly disappeared the second her eyes landed on the unsightly presence of Ralph.

"Oh look! The treats!" Felix exclaimed quickly, elated for the distraction for everyone as he carefully weaved between the guard dog and the upset pug.

As the corgi eagerly bounced over to where the maltese stood, Ralph jealously watched as a few dozen much smaller animals -which thankfully included Gene- flocked around Felix and followed at his heels. Rolling his eyes mockingly, the mastiff lowered his head and followed in suit, lumbering behind the corgi's groupies.

As the group approached Mary and the new treats in the middle of the room, they saw Glen carefully sliding the tall stack of colorful, beautiful dog-food bowls close to where the maltese stood. Each bowl as a different color and unique from the ones stacked above and below them- and each was stunningly beautiful, festively decorated with fancy stickers.

"Well, I'll be dipped!" Felix gawked out loud as he approached the tall stack of colorful dishes, his ears back in awe. "You've really _outdone_ yourself, Mary! These bowls look fantastic!"

Everyone else around him quickly parroted his reaction, oohing and awing over the beautiful bowls as well- making Mary's fluffy white cheeks blush slightly in embarrassment.

Easily able to see over the heads of all the animals in front of him, Ralph peered closer at the stack of bowls and found that even _he_ was impressed with Mary's work.

"Yeah, nice work, Mary," he politely commended as he smiled slightly and tagged his tail.

As if suddenly remembering he was present, Mary started a little at Ralph's words... and caused everyone else to turn to stare wearily at the mastiff as well. When most silenced him with clear looks of annoyance -and that one sharp look of rejection from Gene- Ralph got the point and hung his head in shame.

 _You're really stupid for ever thinking you could belong with this group,_ _Ralph_ , the mastiff hissed mentally to himself. _You don't belong anywhere! Just keep your mouth before they finish kicking you out!_

Deciding it was best to just ignore the big, blushing guard dog, Mary grimaced as Glen started to nose the food bowls one at a time in her direction.

"As you've probably noticed already, everyone's bowl is their favorite color!" the maltese began with a more natural smile and a slight wag of her curly tail. "Norward's is red, Blue for Bob..."

"Wait...How does that work if we're all color blind?" Pac-Man inquired, earning a light laugh from everyone gathered around- except Ralph, who that was a valid point of fact.

"Go by the name on the bowl, then," Deanna...er, Dona? whispered to the terrier with a grin as Mary continued to call out the names each bright, empty dish belonged to.

As Glen and Mary slid each bowl to the feet of the animal sharing its name, Ralph's eyes happily danced around to look at each festive bowls- and realized that each bowl really seemed to be made to perfectly reflect the animal it belonged to.

That one prissy pomeranian named Jane had a sparkly pink bowl decorated with pink tiara stickers- which perfectly fit her uppity attitude that Ralph knew she had. The bright purple bowl with even, consistent green stripes seemed to fit Lucy well, too- she was tidy and liked things a certain way, the mastiff had observed.

But when Ralph saw Gene had a nearly flat, chartreuse green colored bowl, the large pooch couldn't help but smile for the first time ever thinking of the pug. That bowl fit the pug beyond perfectly- because Gene was so shallow and snotty. Why _wouldn't_ he have a snot-colored, depth-less bowl?

Of course, Felix purposely had the best, shiniest bowl of all, Ralph's eyes then quickly saw- a perfectly round, metallic baby blue dish that matched the corgi's soft, baby blue eyes perfectly. His bowl was mostly free of the playful party stickers the others had...

Except it _did_ have one huge, personalized label that literally said "GOOD BOY, FELIX!" on the side...

Which honestly stabbed a Ralph a little it despite him rolling his eyes mockingly.

Ignoring the hollow feeling overtaking him, mastiff quickly realized everyone had a beautiful bowl at their feet already- except for him. Eyeing back at the ones handing out the bowls, Ralph saw that the tall stack of colorful bowls was nearly gone and that there was only one available bowl left...

And when he saw just what the said last bowl looked like, the mastiff felt his stomach crash into the cold pet shop floor.

This bowl was clearly different from the rest and looked nothing like the others. It had no cheery stickers or labels on it, no fancy designs or pattern, either, as the other bowls had. This bowl was bland and embarrassingly stood out as distinct.

Instead of being a bright, jovial color, this dish was a nasty, dirty white- and not just because of the color. Ralph could tell where he stood that it wasn't clean whatsoever, and even though his eating bowl outside wasn't the cleanest food bowl in the world, this nasty party bowl made the large dog squirm. Just the thought of eating out of something so gross, so unsanitary-looking made the tough big dog winced and gag a little.

The bowl had clearly been dug out of the garage, too- some old dish used for scooping who-knew-what and then thrown in the trash where it rightly belonged...

And then had obviously been quickly tossed in with the stack of pretty, clean, new bowls at the last second. The nasty trash of a bowl didn't even have a name on it...

Which made Ralph's heart sink. Hard.

Surely this last, disgusting bowl wasn't for... _him?_

"H-hey, Mary..." the mastiff began to ask, a familiar queasy feeling spreading in his gut as he nodded towards the unsightly bowl. "Who's- who's that one bowl for? The, er, white-ish one there with no name?"

As Mary just blushed and tucked her chin in a little as a half-hearted reply, Gene smirked slightly as he strutted towards the bowl in question.

"It's for our surprised _guest_ ," the pug answered smugly as he casually slid the said bowl across the floor with one slight swipe of his small paw...

And everyone watched as the dirty, ugly, unwelcoming dish came to a permanent rest right in front of Ralph's very large paws.

Staring down at the bowl -now undoubtedly confirmed to be _his_ bowl- between his paws, Ralph's stomach finish hitting the floor as he shakily gulped. His 'party favor' looked that much filthier and cheap under closer inspection, causing Ralph to cock his lip slightly in repulsion. He quickly pursed his lips together to prevent himself from gagging, however, when the dish's odorous smell ascended into his sensitive nose- although he couldn't help but take several steps back from the disgusting bowl.

 _Oh, come on!_ he complained internally, _I know I'm unexcepted here at this party- but they really couldn't find me any better bowl? I mean, it's almost like this was intentional-_

Coming to a mental halt in his line of annoyed thoughts, it all hit Ralph like a ton of bricks to the face, causing him to physically freeze.

Finding this dish -and choosing it for Ralph to eat out of- was no mere accident. It was too exaggeratingly and exceedingly different than the others. Too over-the-top in being trashy, dirty, smelly... bad...

And the bowl would naturally be disregarded, too, avoided by all around... completely unwanted...

 _Just like me..._ Ralph connected slowly...

And as he eyed the others beautiful, festive, colorful, clean...good bowls, each representing their owners' matching, closed-off, judgemental personalities so well...

It all hit Ralph a little too hard.

 _My bowl purposely fits me well... because this is how they view me,_ he gulped miserably. _Ju_ _st a smelly, dirty piece of unwanted **trash**..._

Shaking his head hard and closing his eyes tight, Ralph prohibiting himself from showing any of his anger -or hurt- slowly bubbling inside him. Sure, he was _more_ than slightly annoyed with the difference in his bowl and the rest.. and what it was not-so-subtly making clear. And yeah, it cut him deeply to think they viewed him like this trashy, worthless dish- or even worse, even _lower_ than it, actually...

But the mastiff refused to lose his cool over it. He just told himself to quickly let it all go, that he _was_ somewhat of a last minute party crasher, after all...

And he _wasn't_ just a piece of trash- despite the fact others viewed him that way.

Opening his eyes, Ralph saw the animals before him were looking back at him- some uneasily tense, excepting him to flip out in reaction to the disgraceful bowl. Others -like a big-eyed Felix- looked almost _embarrassed_ for the mastiff... which made Ralph squirm and ache inside even more.

But then his eyes landed on Gene smirking at him, his stupid pug eyes narrowed with one of his stupid pug eyebrows raised up in clear, mocking judgement...

Merely _waiting_ for the mastiff to just get upset, for Ralph to get all riled up, for the unwanted _bad dog_ to make a fool of himself yet again-

 _No, not again_, Ralph quickly sighed determinedly, stubbornly. _Never again! Just ignore it, Ralph!_

Forcing himself to stand straight over his hideous dish again, the mastiff eyed Gene smugly before finally looking back at the maltese.

"Thank you for the bowl, Mary," he said a little too loudly for anyone to believe. "That was, uh, very thoughtful of you to get one for me, even though I was not excepted."

 _More like 'not invited',_ the mastiff huffed bitterly, biting his tongue hard to prevent himself from saying something he'd later regret.

"Uh...y-you're welcome, Ralph," Mary rushed out quickly, physically shaking as if scared Ralph didn't really mean those words and would attack her unexpectedly. "Er, _Glen_ is the real one you should thanks, though; he knew you were, er, staying, so he grabbed an extra bowl from the- um, well, the..."

"Trash can," the monotone turtle hissed dryly, giving Ralph the same glare he had earlier. "I got it from the trash can. We didn't have any others."

 _Welp, THAT explains a lot_ , Ralph mentally hissed back as his blush deepened- but he somehow forced his thoughts to stay confined to his mind.

"Well then...thank you, Glen," Ralph muttered, his voice weak but refusing to weaver due to the embarrassing looks he was receiving. He then prayed silently for Mary to just continue so that everyone would get their examining eyes off of him. It was starting to get to be too much for the mastiff the handle.

"Er, anyway," Mary quickly spoke again, and as if reading Ralph's mind, everyone turned back to look at her instead of the blushing mastiff. "Everyone's bowls are going to be filled with the new duck treats Mr.Litwak got a shipment of today!"

Smiling happily, the maltese nodded towards to giant plastic container and then nodded in approval at Glen to begin the treats' distribution. In response, everyone -even Ralph- smiled in excitement.

"Everyone, pick up your food bowls and gather around the water bowl," Mary then directed, her voice overly cheery. "And Bob and Glen will get you the treats!"

In pure eagerness, everyone quickly scooped up their dishes and began to quickly form a loose circle around the large shared water bowl towards the middle of the room. And although he was _very_ reluctant to put his ghastly food bowl in his mouth, even Ralph pushed past it and picked up his dish- though making sure only his teeth were touching it instead of tasting it with his tongue.

Ralph quickly found an unoccupied place in the make-shift circle and carefully and quickly set his bowl down, happy to get the foul dish out of his mouth. As he lifted his head back up, he was painfully aware of just how much he towered over the rest- even more so than he did most of the other dogs at the Bad-Dog meeting...

Forcing his mind clear of even the mention of that ridiculous meeting, the mastiff forced himself to think differently. Yes, that meeting had ended in emotional _disaster_ \- but he had a good feeling about this party now.

Not even a few days ago did Ralph ever think he'd end up just sitting among the other animals in the petshop. Never once did he dreamed he'd actually get to enjoy some delicious treats they seemed willing to share with him...

That had to be a great improvement, right?

Excluding his nasty party bowl.. and the whole issue with Gene, of course... and the now rarer looks of fear and repulsion that was still getting cast his way...

Ralph was _actually_ starting to see some silver lining beyond all the dark clouds hanging over his depressing life.

Despite being so different and much larger than all the animals around the room, despite all that had happened earlier, over these past five years, even...

Maybe, just maybe, things were _finally_ starting to improve. Maybe even Ralph could belong with these guys, with him by their side.

Maybe Ralph had finally, **_finally_** found what he was looking for, begging for all this time, really: pure belonging as just another good dog.

Allowing a rare, warm and fuzzy feeling to overtake his huge, slowly filling heart inside his chest, the mastiff smiled peacefully. Sitting down slowly and cautiously, Ralph eyed behind him one last time to make sure he wasn't squishing anyone unfortunate enough to get under his tail. Calm and relaxed, Ralph sighed in peace.

He hadn't felt this happy, this fairly accepted -this **_good_** \- in a long while... And Ralph could only pray this feeling would stick around longer this time.

But that rare feeling of happiness popped abruptly when the mastiff turned to see that it was Gene, of all animals, that had decided to take a spot right beside him. Cautiously eyeing the pug as he silently set his snot-colored bowl on the floor, Ralph found himself being filled with a strange feeling of eeriness now growing inside. All due to the pug's close presence.

Gene usually couldn't stand to be ten feet close the bull mastiff... so why would he suddenly choose to sit right beside him now? Especially since Ralph was near the _opposite_ end of where Felix was, who was near the beginning of the entire circle, no less?

 _Just what is this sneaky, manipulative pug planning?_ the mastiff couldn't help but think in worry.

Forcing his mind to think positively, to consider it just a coincidence (or possibly even an odd sign of a peace treaty from the pug), Ralph decided to ignore the weird choice Gene had made. He instead focused on Glen and Bob as they worked together to hoist up the treat container.

The group -with Gene and Ralph at the tail end of the circle- patiently waited as Glen and Bob the labradoodle slowly went around and poured the delicious, multi-colored treats into everyone's individual bowls. Felix, of course, was first in the circle, so he got the freshest, unbroken treats the container had to offer.

"Why, thank ya, friends!" the corgi commended kindly as his bowl was filled up- and seconds later, he had already started digging into his treats, wagging his little stubby tail in happiness.

Soon after, Bob's own bowl was filled, then Mary's, then Deanna's, then Lucy's, so on and so forth. None of them waited for the others to get their treats as well; each just dived in snout-first into their full bowls of delicious food.

Hungrily licking his chops, Ralph felt his stomach growl loudly in protest at the smell of the mouth-watering food. Staring fixatedly on the plastic container that held the duck-flavor treats, the mastiff regrettably realized that each pet in the group was getting a _ton_ of treats poured into their bowl... and the container was running out. Fast.

Slyly eyeing down at Gene still sitting beside him, Ralph saw that the pug didn't seem to be concerned by the depleting treats at all, however. Instead, he was just sitting still with his wrinkled, squished up face as calm as could be...

Which was starting to make the mastiff worry a little bit more.

The pug was planning something- and Ralph didn't have to be very intelligent to slowly piece together what it could be.

When Bob and Glen finally came into the last stretch of empty bowls, Ralph saw just how little was left in the container of treats. The last bit of the bone-shaped snacks left inside were broken and crumbly- and bearly looked like they would satisfyingly fill even one small food bowl now.

Staring intensely as they poured some of the scarce, precious treats into Gene's food bowl, Ralph gulped and pleadingly eyed Bob and Glen.

 _Please, please don't pour it all out,_ he mentally begged, _please, **please** don't give it all to-_

But Bob and Glen were already setting the container upright once again- with a few crumbly and ashy leftovers still inside to spare.

Sighing in pure relief, Ralph smiled widely. He wasn't asking for much; even just a few little stray pieces of broken treats or bits of flavored dust would suffice for him. _Anything_ would be better -and less embarrassing- than having the only empty bowl here.

Forgetting who he was sitting beside, Ralph turned to a happily wag his tail down at Gene- only to see that the pug wasn't even looking at him.

"Can I, uh, have a little bit more in my bowl, please?" Gene asked, his voice filled with mocked innocence. "It's not completely filled."

When Bob and Glen eyed each other cautiously but then complied, Ralph allowed himself to become slack-jawed.

 _You have got to be kidding me!_ the mastiff screamed internally. _I knew Gene was up to something! He's trying to steal all the treats that are left!!_

But as he watched two animals worked together to tediously pour a tiny bit more into Gene's bowl -while being purposely careful to make sure there was at least a little bit for Ralph- the mastiff smiled gratefully at the turtle and labradoodle. They could obviously see what Gene was trying to here... and it looked like they weren't going to give so easily-

"Just a _tad_ more, please," Gene continued to press in his pushy way, sliding his bowl a little bit closer to them in an inviting and convincing way. "My bowl is almost full, so might as well _top it off_ , guys."

Eyeing down at him in sheer disbelief, Ralph glared down at the pug, feeling his uncheck temper raising. Turning to silently beg Bob and Glen not to give in, the mastiff watched as the two exchanged worried looks...

And then finished pouring the very last bit of the food in Gene's chartreuse bowl as Ralph looked on in stuporous disbelief.


	14. Chapter 13: Bad Dog Throw Down

**Chapter 13:** **Bad Dog Throw Down**

As one snot-colored bowl was filled -and the one dirty, unclean dish was left abandoned and empty- the arrogant pug peered tauntingly up at a vexed Ralph.

"Ooh, sorry, Ralph," Gene cooed, sounding anything _but_ apologetic as he sharply stated the obvious just to add salt the large wound. "That finished off the container."

 _Of course it did,_ _you jerk_ , Ralph growled, his internal voice beyond embittered. _In fact, you made sure that would happen because you're the main sleazeball making my life miserable!! _

Shaking his large head he was so furious, the mastiff forced his eyes off Gene before he snapped the pug's head off. Nearly making his tongue bleed he was biting it so hard, Ralph sighed out slowly his nose.

Sure, he'd been irritated by the pug's treatment of him before, but most of it was more verbal; no real harm was ever really done. Mostly, at least.

But this... _this_ crossed the line. The already-paper-thin line.

It was like pure animal decency wasn't even there in Gene's mind anymore when it came to Ralph- no concern, no boundaries. All the mastiff was in the pug's mess-up, bias mind was a stupid bad dog who deserved nothing good and no one good.

The only thing the mastiff did seem to deserve is to be treated like trash, like an object with no feelings... and even considered to bearly be a fellow animal, of course.

But Ralph _wasn't_ just a piece of trash, nor was he an object to toss around or ignore as being alive. He was a dog of deep emotions- feelings that got semi-numbed after so long of being hurt and disregarded repeatedly, but still there nonetheless...

And, more than anything, Ralph was no stupid bad dog. Not ever again.

And boy, was he ever getting sick of being treated like he was. Getting sick of it fast.

Gulping down the impossibly strong urge to snarl at the smirking source of his anger, Ralph forced his blood-shot eyes shut- obviously trying to keep from exploding in uncontrolled yet valid rage.

 _No, not again_ , he quickly reminded himself, exhaling deeply. _Stay calm. Gene's obviously just trying to get the best of you. Don't let him win this time!..._

Allowing a slow breath to escape his nose once more, Ralph blinked open his eyes, feeling ever so slightly a bit more in control of his emotions...

But that didn't mean the still upset mastiff wouldn't make it quite clear just how aggravated he was. He was being unfairly treated- and was about to make that clearly known.

The large, heavy dog purposely flopped his rear end down onto the pet shop floor, this time actually liking how doing so made the whole place shake with force. At the mini-earthquake befalling their pet shop, almost everyone abandoned digging into their bowls and looked in Ralph's direction- and all became clearly startled by what they saw.

There sat the very guard dog of the pet shop, with his head held low...and a look of anger screaming from his twitching, narrowed eyes. His ears were plastered up against his head, and he was physically heaving in wrath- all honestly things they had rarely ever seen Ralph do...

Except when Ralph was really angry. Possibly explosively, _bad dog_ angry.

And the slight look of fear and nervousness coming over everyone's faces -even Gene's face- when they realized just how mad he was getting was for once a refreshing sight for the mastiff.

In his place near the front of the circle, Felix couldn't help but look up midbite from his food bowl as it too was shaken from Ralph's rough plopping. Noticing the clear anger written on Ralph's face -and the near killer looks he was giving Gene- the corgi felt himself squirm a bit as he worriedly tucked his ears back.

He hadn't really seen what had transpired between Ralph and Gene, but the small dog could still tell that whatever it was had really gotten under mastiff's skin. Even more than Gene usually did.

Quickly swallowing the mouthful of treats he still had in his mouth, Felix danced around his extra-good food bowl and cautiously crawled over to Ralph...

Which in all honesty was _the last thing_ the mastiff needed to happen. The too-good, too-perfect corgi's presence was beyond irritating- and just made Ralph tense up in annoyance that much more.

"You seem a little, er... _aggravated,_ Ralph," Felix began softly, trying to peer into Ralph's narrowed eyes. "Is every-"

"No, everything is _not_ ok, Felix," the mastiff interrupted pointedly, shifting his weight from one cosmic front paw to the next. "I wasn't able to get any of the new duck-flavored treats."

When Ralph purposely turned to glare down at a certain pug now innocently munching on his bowl of treats, Felix immediately got the hint.

His ears flattening even more, the kind-hearted corgi winced for Ralph's pain- which somehow made everything worse.

"I- I'm sorry that happened, Ralph," Felix mentioned softly, his voice the most sincere and genuine it had been all evening. His darkened face lightened as an idea came to him. "I think we have some _bacon-_ flavored treats in the back-"

"I've never been real fond of bacon," Ralph cut in again, his agitation clearly growing as a nasty scowl stretched across his face. And, surprisingly, he felt somewhat _bad_ for how harsh his voice sounded.

The mastiff knew Felix was just trying to help ease the situation, ease his growing anger- but it was that sickening look of pity that the Ralph didn't appreciate. That look was getting as old as Gene's nasty antics were.

Lowering his head a little bit closer to the ground at Ralph's quip, the corgi winced again, that obnoxious look of guilt filling his face once more.

"O-oh," he stumbled out, "well, uh..."

"And, you know, another thing I hate to be picky about," Ralph suddenly added as he stood up again, shaking his head almost in a mocked amused way. "I couldn't help but notice how _nasty and gross_ my party food bowl smells."

As if to make his point, the bull mastiff pushed his dish towards Felix a little rougher and more forceful than he had intended- yet again forgetting just how strong his front paws were.

As the dish nearly skidded into him, the startled corgi jumped back in alarm. Curious as to what Ralph meant, Felix cautiously leaned forward to peer closer into the said bowl and sniffed it gingerly. Within half a second, however, his orange and white head was retracted sharply- and his perfect mouth gagged slightly in disgust. In a strange, almost comical way, his huge, over-the-top ears flipped back and his handsome blue eyes shut spontaneously at the smell as well, somehow causing him to hold one petite paw close to his chest.

The corgi's whole ridiculously expressive reaction was almost enough to make Ralph laugh out loud- and he probably would've had it been any other given situation.

"My, that bowl sure does have some...er, _interesting_ aroma to it," Felix quailed out, slowly backing up from the said disgusting bowl. "It's, er-"

"Gross. Just gross," Ralph mumbled out through gritted teeth before he allowed them to slowly separate. "I guess it's almost a good thing I _didn't_ have any food in my bowl, 'cause, you know... _I_ wouldn't want to eat out of this bowl. Would _you_ , Felix?"

Forcing himself to hunker lower and grimace up at the clearly sarcastic, embittered mastiff, Felix just shrugged helplessly. He was so used to naturally knowing what to say, when and how to say it, how to fix every situation... but now...

Felix had _no clue_ how to calm Ralph down or how to help him to see -or at least believe- that everything wasn't as it appeared.

"I also noticed just how different in _appearance_ my bowl is from everyone else's, too," Ralph continued on in mock casualness, taking a few huge steps forward. Stretching his neck to get his large face into Felix' small face, the mastiff pointed out said differences in sharp obviousness. "Everyone's bowls are pretty and colorful- but mine is a dirty white and frankly ugly, really..."

"Well, uh..." Felix fumbled, backing up. Gulping down the urge to shake even slightly, the corgi just forced a small, gentle wag of his tail.

The smaller dog wasn't _scared_ of Ralph per se. Of course, he well knew, like the others in the pet shop, just what the huge, strong, temperamental guard dog was truly capable of. Yet - _unlike_ most of the others- Felix also knew that the kind-hearted mastiff wouldn't ever hurt another animal without cause, that Ralph really was just a gentle giant inside...

But none of that knowledge meant Felix never got _intimidated_ by the huge, strong, temperamental mastiff... Especially as said mastiff unintentionally but literally towered over him.

Somehow sensing the corgi's uncomfortableness and even fear, though, Ralph forced himself to back up slightly, to stop taking his blunt anger out on Felix. None of this was intentionally Felix' fault, after all.

The large dog lifted his head back up- and directed his sharp glare Mary's way, who was already wearily eyeing Ralph.

"And I saw that you had some extra stickers up on the desk, Mary," Ralph mentioned, nodding back at the abandoned labels up on Mr.Litwak's desk behind him. "I guess you didn't have enough time to put any of them on _my_ bowl, huh?"

In her place by her pretty, now almost empty lilac bowl, Mary blushed and flattened her ears back.

"Well, um..." she stumbled out as she looked away, her voice still slightly chipper. "N-no, I didn't have any time-"

"-Which is a shame," the mastiff cut her off, his anger growing stronger as he continued in his spiel. "'Cause I bet those stickers feel right bad right now at not being important enough to be placed on anything... Even something as grubby and trashy as my bowl."

Nervously eyeing the animals around, Mary just stuttered in reply to Ralph's strange yet blunt analogy. "Well, uh..."

"I bet being on my bowl would've made my- eh, _their_ day, actually," Ralph continued, his anger and pain coming ever more clear on his twisting up face. "Because they would feel like they actually, truly _belonged_ -"

"Oh, get off your high horse, Ralph!" Gene snarled suddenly, finishing licking off the last bit of crumbs on his face. Dismissively rolling his eyes, the pug strutted up to stand at Ralph's side- and narrowed his eyes in disgust. "We didn't even know you'd end up being apart of this party to begin with!"

Snarling, Ralph quickly turned to the pug at his side and narrowed his eyes at him in return.

"Yeah, 'cause no one ever thought to even _invite_ me in the first place!" he pointed out, his tone embittered.

Choking down a huge, uncomfortable knot forming in his throat, Felix watched wide-eyed as the mastiff and the pug shared a look of pure disdain for the other: Gene, near growling with clear repulsive in Ralph's face; Ralph, near snapping in pure loathing and frustration in Gene's face.

"Uh... Let's all just eat our treats!" the peace-loving corgi called out desperately, trying in vain to break up the squabble and the tense situation. "Ralph, why don't you and I go make sure we don't have any extra duck-flavored treats in the back-"

"And why do you _think_ we didn't want to invite you in the first place, hm?" Gene ignored Felix and continued to stare down the mastiff in his face. "Because this is an anniversary party for _our_ pet shop! _OUR_ pet shop! Which-"

"Are you implying that I'm _not_ apart of the pet shop?!" Ralph hissed ridiculously in reply, feeling his paws push a little harder into the pet shop floor. " 'Cause, news flash: Mr.Litwak is _my_ owner, too, Gene! I'm just as apart as this pet shop as any of you guys are- but _especially_ as much as Felix is!"

"Um- _liver!"_ Felix suddenly voiced a little too loudly, his ears smushed up against his small skull yet again. He forced out a painful smile, his eyes seeping with his growing worry. "I know for a fact that we've got _liver-flavored_ Dent-A-Sticks in the back, Ralph! Why don't we-"

"Actually, when you think about," the mastiff continued after thinking, yet again ignoring the corgi. Glaring even harsher down at Gene, Ralph's folded ears flopped forward. "This is not even technically _your_ pet shop, Gene."

At his sudden realization, the mastiff turned to look at every other animal around, all keeping their safe, hesitant distance from the guard dog. They could tell his bad dog anger was coming...

And once it got started, there was no real way of stopping it.

" _None_ of you guys really live here, not permanently, at least!" Ralph exclaimed what was indeed true. "You all are simply waiting here to get ADOPTED OUT! Felix and I are the only animals Mr.Litwak technically owns as his pets! How _dare_ you guys act like you have more place here than _I_ do!"

As everyone stood somewhat slack-jawed at the mastiff' abrupt, candid words, Ralph made them gasp a little bit more when he tactlessly muttered under his breath a sharp afterthought: "It's not _my_ fault you guys haven't been adopted in the five years we've been open..."

"Uh, you're wrong there, Butt Mutt," Gene's already squished up face got even more squished as he became enraged, shaking his head roughly. "You chase away _half_ the potential customers from the pet shop, you sorry excuse as a canine! A _squirrel_ would serve as a better watch dog than you!"

"Hey, it's not my fault half of those 'potential customers' look shifty!" Ralph cried defensively as he narrowed his eyes back at Gene, blushing slightly at the pug's dig. "I can't help but be a little overprotective of this place, especially after what happened several months ago-"

"THERE'S NOTHING LITTLE ABOUT YOU!" Gene instantly screeched in frustration, fully being shaken off the pet shop floor for a split second at his angry outburst. "Why do you think you broke the doggy door, huh? Why do you think we _all_ seem so dwarfed in comparison to you? _Why do you think no one wants to be around yo_ _u?!_ It's because you're a monster, and you're clumsy, and- and you're **_bad!"_**

Almost everyone in the circle on animals gasped in unison, their eyes wide at Gene's words. Each pet looked around at one another in horror, no one sure what to say or even think- causing every creature to freeze in place...

"CHICKEN!!" Felix unevenly screamed out in a panic- causing every pair of eyes to slowely turn and look at him oddly. Desperately clearing his dry throat, the corgi ventured towards the two arguing dogs, the agonizing look of anxiety written on his small, nervous face.

Shifting his eyes between Ralph and Mr.Litwak's desk, the awkward corgi forced a stiff smile.

"I think we have some chicken-flavored snacks behind the desk, 'ole buddy!!" the small dog mentioned, his blue eyes practically pleading with an eye-twitching Ralph to just give in and follow him. " _Please_ , let's go get them, ok?!"

But Ralph couldn't answer; he could feel himself starting to breathe too deeply for comfort.

There he was, being isolated by everyone again. Being mistreated and yelled at _by Gene_ again.

Being called **bad** again...

No, Ralph _wasn't_ a bad dog. Not now- and not ever again.

Not seeming to care that the mastiff was seething with anger, Gene leaned closer to Ralph's face again- pushing dangerous buttons Ralph didn't even know he had.

"You're so bad, in fact, that if it weren't for Felix being our mascot, you would've run this pet shop into the ground within a week!" the pug hissed as he gestured towards the corgi. " _Felix_ is what's keeping this petshop afloat!"

His ears perking back up a little bit at the mention of his name, Felix sighed shakily. Gulping, he knew it was time to do something he should've been doing all this time.

Actually _standing up_ for Ralph.

"That- that's not true, Gene," Felix finally found his voice -as weak as it came out- in the crowd of bystanders of the fight. Wincing, he was ashamed at how soft and pathetic his tone sounded as he continued. "R-Ralph is an important part of the pet shop, too..."

"Oh, really?" Gene asked the corgi ridiculously, cocking his head at him. "Then why are _you_ getting a new collar tomorrow from Mr.Litwak and Ralph's not?"

At such an ill-timed revelation of news, Ralph blinked, then felt his eye twitch. His stomach did a summersault before crashing into the cool floor below his feet.

No, he had _not_ just heard what he thought he heard.

Ralph hadn't gotten a new collar since Litwak found him... yet Felix was getting a brand new collar- for the second time in _a few weeks?_

"Wait- _what?!_ You're getting a new collar?! Already?!" the bull mastiff crowed, looking at Felix with wide, hurt, almost betrayed eyes. "You _just_ got a new one, Felix- like a couple of weeks ago!"

His own eyes growing wide, Felix shrunk even lower towards the floor.

"Mr.Litwak said it's a special one," he admitted softly, his ears falling in shame as much as Ralph was. "For the 5th year anniversary."

"See? If you were really a precious part of this pet shop, Mr.Litwak would've gotten _you_ a new collar, too!" Gene growled at the distraught mastiff, adding a pound of salt to Ralph's wound.

"And if you weren't so big and clumsy and _bad_ ," the pug continued in rage, stomping to stand before Ralph and the mastiff's nasty bowl, "I bet you anything Mr.Litwak would actually let you _live_ inside the pet shop with us! But that will never happen! Because you're just the bad dog who guards building!"

Seeing red, Ralph stiffly shook his head, his body heaving. His already stretched-thin patience was dangerously running out fast- and he was honestly scared of what he would do when pushed past this level.

But he was not a bad dog. Not again.

"No, I'm not, Gene," he suddenly found his voice and growled viciously back, his face leaning way too close to Gene's. "I am _not_ a bad dog."

"Yes, you are!" The unimitated pinched-face pug growled in response- and in his own moment of rage, harshly flipped Ralph's empty party bowl over will one wipe of his small paw.

As his unsightly bowl crashed upside down onto the floor, Ralph felt something he rarely felt rising deep inside his chest, in his gut...

A near sickening feeling of pure, utter _unrestraint_.

The bull mastiff was done. Done with the injustice, with the namecalling, with the mistreatment. Done with Gene, with nasty party bowls, with good dog collars given to pets who just got one.

He was done with not feeling like he belonged, like he was hated, like he was a smelly, rejected, worthless piece of trash.

He was done staying calm, pretending like none of this was getting under his skin- like all of this wasn't cutting into himself like some sort of knife to the bone.

After five long years, Ralph the guard dog was _done_ with being the bad dog of his pet shop- and was pushed to the point of making that undeniably, terrifyingly and absolutely clear as day.

"No, I'm NOT!!!" Ralph snapped and bellowed loudly at the pug before him, his voice causing everyone -even Gene and Felix- to jump in alarm.

Blinded with rage, the mastiff then charged a few feet over to where the middle of the room was. With great power and strength, he mightly pushed over the heavy, large water fountain bowl with seeming ease- causing a few dozen of gallons of water to come pouring out all over the floor.

The water quickly splashed over everyone unfortunately close by in its path, drenching them straight to their skin. If it wasn't spilling onto an animal, the liquid was leaking in an almost flood-like state, spreading out evenly all over the petshop's main room. Nothing and no one on the ground was spared from its wet effects.

As the water slowly stopped spreading and began to form a big puddle, some of the pet shop' animals stood either dripping or in an inch of water- but all were equally shivering in a state of shocked silence.

As some of the sopping animals started to shake off their impromptu bath, Ralph's eyes quit flashing red, his heart stopped racing- and he finally understood the unfortunate scope of the mess he had created. Looking around, the mastiff blushed beet red and hung his head in shame, embarrassed that he allowed himself to be pushed to that extent.

Before him, though, still stood Gene...but although he was perhaps the dog that had gotten the wettest, the pug didn't look angry or upset. He almost looked slightly _pleased_ he had pushed Ralph as far as he did.

The pug seemed to had accomplished his goal, Ralph knew: undeniably making the mastiff look like a fool. Like an idiot...

Like a _bad dog_. Yet again.

As water dripped off his smug snout, the pug echoed his own words, no doubt what almost all the others were thinking, anyway.

"Yes...you... are."


	15. Chapter 14: The Deal

**Chapter 14:** **The** **Deal**

As Gene smirked into his face, and as everyone else look at him with worried, scared eyes, Ralph gulped down a huge knot in his throat.

 _You've really done it this time, Ralph_ , he screamed at himself as he cowered, his tail tucked between his legs. _That was totally a bad dog move!!_

His eyes landing on Gene once again, the mastiff found himself glaring harshly the pug all at once- wishing more than anything else that he could shoot laser beams from his eyes into the pug's tiny, stupid skull.

None of this wasn't Ralph's fault, he abruptly realized- it was _Gene's_.

That low-down, evil pug had pushed him too far and made him become a fool again. _A bad dog again._

How could Ralph prove that he wasn't a fool? That he wasn't a bad dog, that he was so much more than just the dog 'that guards the pet shop building?'

Lifting up a massive paw and slightly shaking off the water on it before setting it back down again, Ralph's mind desperately searching for a suitable answer to his problem. To prove his worth once and for all...

Hopelessly eyeing his own reflection in the water below, the mastiff saw how empty his face look- as empty as he felt. Closing his eyes, the dog forced himself to gulp back the raw, stinging tears threatening to leak out.

It was pointless. No one, nowhere would believe Ralph the guard dog could be or was a good dog...

And there was nothing Ralph could do about it.

 _Maybe the guys back at the meeting were right_ , the depressed pooch sighed. _M_ _aybe I am doomed to forever be a bad dog. It's unchangeable, unavoidable- and I just finally need to accept it. Why even try?_

Blinking them open again, Ralph's eyes pitifully bore into him in his own reflection once again...

Before something else being reflected in the water -something shiny- over by Felix caught his eye.

Looking up, Ralph saw it was just a soaked Felix, his collar's shiny tags reflecting beautifully into the water pooling below him...

And, as if getting hit by a ton of bricks, suddenly a very, _very_ brilliant (and admittedly very, very risky) idea hit Ralph. Hard.

 _That's it!_ the mastiff suddenly smiled in hope, making his tag wag slightly. _Why didn't you think of that before, ya dummy?!_

Straightening up to stand tall and proud, the mastiff's once low-hanging head suddenly raised higher and more confident- the most it had been all evening.

"You know what, Gene?" Ralph smirked, approaching the pug in question as the water flooded away from the steps of his massive paws. "I'm gonna go get me a new collar- to _prove_ that I _am_ a good dog!" He stated firmly, filled with inspiration and motivation.

As the others around silently watched with wide eyes, Gene just rolled his eyes and snorted rudely up at the mastiff.

"Oh, please," the pug hissed. "Like Mr.Litwak would get _you_ a new collar, let alone a good dog collar."

Smirking, Ralph childishly rolled his own eyes down at him.

"I didn't mean getting a new collar from Mr.Litwak," he mused. "I meant getting one outside of the pet shop. Getting one from someone else."

With small, judgemental blue eyes, Gene looked unimpressed.

"Yeah, right," he mocked. "Where's a bad dog like _you_ ever going to get a new collar? Especially by someone other than Litwak?"

Feeling one of his eyes twitch slightly, Ralph paused for a moment and raised a thoughtful eyebrow. He honestly hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Well...from a person, from a place, I know...," the mastiff smugly lied to the pug, sticking out his large, broad chest. "And that's none of your business!"

That part of the plan didn't really matter, anyway, Ralph figured; he'd find the right someplace to get a collar along the way. He just had to convince the right someone.

"Whatever, Ralph," Gene scoffed, rolling his eyes dismissively yet again. "There isn't any place that gives _free_ good dog collars away- and even if they did, they'd never give one to you. It's painfully clear you're just some bad dog."

"I'll _earn_ one, then!" Ralph then decided, his voice louder and more forceful than he meant it to be. "I'll do something brave or heroic or something- and someone out there will be moved to give me a brand new collar!"

"Oh, yeah, _suure_ ," the pug mused, his voice as sarcastic as Ralph had ever heard it- before it becoming critical again. "You doing something heroic or brave will never happen- you're too selfish. Besides, even if you _did_ somehow do something meriting a good dog collar, no one would be dumb enough to just give you one. I bet you anything you'll end up coming back to the pet shop empty-necked after _one hour_ of trying to 'earn' a good dog collar."

At the pug's contemptuous, taunting words, yet another idea hit Ralph suddenly and surprisingly.

An idea that could end -or make worse- the injustice, the namecalling, the mistreatment, the _rejection_ for the mastiff...

An idea -no matter how risky- that could lead Ralph to finally, _finally_ belonging with the other animals here in the pet shop...

An idea that would finally make Ralh a good dog.

Once and for all... hopefully, at least.

"Oh, yeah? Well, let's make this _bet_ a little more interesting, then," Ralph narrowed his eyes at the pug, who admittedly raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Lifting his head up to seriously look at everyone else as well, the massive dog continued.

"I come back with a collar -with a good dog tag on it- within exactly 3 days, I win the bet...," the mastiff began, his mind searching for the best terms he could think of. "And I...I get actual _respect_ from all of you guys, all the duck treats I want... _and_ I get to live inside the pet shop with you guys, if Mr.Litwak allows, of course."

"-But if you _don't_ get the collar within 3 days and _we_ win...," Gene pushed his face closer to Ralph's, pausing for a moment to decide on the harshest, cruelest terms he could think of.

Smirking, the pug narrowed his eyes firmly as he stomped forward in the water.

"You...you _leave_ the pet shop, Ralph," he concluded ominously. "Forever."


	16. Chapter 15: The Countdown Begins

**Chapter 15: The Countdown Begins**

Everyone gasped and stared at the duo, astonished by both Ralph's side of the bet as well as Gene's. Especially a wide-eyed, lip-twitching, _panicking_ Felix.

No, this wasn't happening. Ralph was not actually going... ** _Turbo_** , was he?

" _What_?!" The corgi squawked, sounding uncharacteristically horrified and frantic. He raced over to stand before the two arguing dogs, begging for each of them to reconsider their terms. "Y-you can't just agree to those terms, Ralph!" Felix screeched out, eyes bouncing back and forth between the mastiff and the pug. "And Gene, that's- it's a-"

"-Deal," Ralph resolutely barked out, nodding at the agreed terms with Gene. As the pug smirked triumphantly back, a mortified Felix allowed a squeal of despair to escape his throat.

"Fine," Gene hissed in Ralph's face then, arrogance and over-confidence written on his face. "Go and _fail_ at getting your precious new good dog collar. We'll enjoy the quiet while you're gone- and then enjoy it _permanently_ once you lose."

At Gene's harsh, confirming words, Felix shook that much more in growing, unrestrained panic. He grasped for words, _any_ words to get Ralph to change his mind and not follow through with this very, _very_ dicey wager.

The corgi knew that neither Ralph nor Gene was thinking ahead to what it would really mean if Ralph actually lost the bet. What could happen while Ralph was away trying to get the collar...What _Mr.Litwak_ would do if Ralph left, for the 3 days or longer depending on who wins the bet...

 _This whole thing could be just **awful** for both us here at the pet shop AND for Ralph!! _Felix mentally fretted as he physically shook. _He will probably stop at nothin' to get that collar, no telling what it could mean!_

 _He could get hurt out there in the big 'ole town of Acardia or even beyond- there's no tellin' what is out there! Meaner dogs, dog catchers...even worst things!! What if __Ralph_ _**gets killed** trying to be his good dog collar?!_

Having enough mental torment, Felix shook his head so hard his orange ears flopped roughly against his face.

"Ralph, wait- it could be dangerous going out there and getting a new collar by yourself," he tried to reason with the mastiff- and then resorted to trying to find something that he could give Ralph as a compromise for staying. "Why don't you have my new collar coming tomorrow instead?!" he yipped eagerly- before realized how stupid that was to say. "I mean, it might be a little too small...and tight...and Mr.Litwak is putting it on me...but it'll work, right?! It's a good dog collar, at least, right?!"

Laughing so nervously it was painful, the corgi pleaded up at a confused Ralph and an annoyed looking Gene.

"Why would you give him your new collar, Felix?" Gene asked the corgi before mockingly smirking at Ralph. "Mr.Good Dog here is supposedly going to go get his own."

"Yeah, don't worry, Felix," the mastiff pointedly told the corgi, yet his voice was gentle. He could tell Felix was flipping out over this sudden change of events- and even though he didn't stop to wonder just _why_ he might be worried, the mastiff wanted to calm the corgi's fears. He smiled sincerely at the gulping corgi. "I'll be fine- and I can get a collar my own. One that will fit me just right."

Turning back to the source of the other half of the bet, Ralph cockily replied to Gene's earlier accusation.

"And oh, I know I won't fail at getting that good dog collar!" Smirking one last time, Ralph made his way over to the hole he had created in the door.

Pausing to haughtily turn to stare at the others, Ralph ominously thought briefly how this could very well be the last time he'd ever see any of these other animals...

The last time he'd see Mary and Lucy, Bob and Glen, ... the last time he'd ever see kind-hearted, worry-wart Felix (who was the only animal here he'd dare call somewhat of a friend) and even Mr.Litwak and his super sweet niece, Stefanie ...

The last he'd ever see _Gene..._

And as the pug evilly narrowed his eyes one last time at the bull mastiff, Ralph decided then that this was a risk he was willing to make.

"And you _all_ will see when I come back with the best collar ever known the dog kind!" he stated confidently as his chest puffed out even more to the group. "And- and it's going to have the shiniest tags on it this place has ever seen! It'll be a collar that's so good, it'll make Felix's collars wet themselves!"

As most of the other animals bewilderedly eyed him, Ralph ducked and jumped through the large hole in the front door again- this time much easier than it had been all evening now that it didn't have the small doggy door on it.

It was still pouring outside, Ralph found out quickly as he stood under the awning for a moment- and by his sense of smell, he could tell more rain was coming in from the south.

As he watched Ralph as he smelled the air for rain, Felix began heaving slightly as he crawled to the front door.

Looking like he could lose the treats he had eaten earlier, the small corgi was about to implore Ralph to change his mind, to think about all of this a little bit more, to at least wait until the morning to think this over...

But when Ralph's brown eyes landed back on the corgi's shiny collar tags and on the beautiful leather collar itself, that was enough to make up the mastiff's mind that much more.

Nodding one last time in assurance towards a fainthearted Felix, Ralph eyed down the now mostly dark sidewalk and the empty road next to it. Not even thinking twice about what he was about to do -or what he could possibly face on this 3-day search- the bull mastiff took off in a sprint, getting drenched instantly as he galloped down the road...

And before Felix could even flinch, Ralph had become completely out of sight in the rainy night in a mere few seconds, blending right in with the rest of the pitch black night.

Just like that, Ralph had disappeared. Just like that, his countdown was on to get that collar, come what may...

 _Just like that, he's gone_ , the corgi mentally had to confirm to himself- causing a whole new wave of fear to wash over him.

He solemnly turned to see that the others too were eyeing where Ralph had been standing, all having a mixture of emotions written on their faces. There was slight apprehension on most faces, a few looking a little bit more worried or scared than others...

All except for Gene. His face screamed one thing and one thing only.

Utter arrogance.

"Well, that solved _that_ problem," the pug huffed and turned back to the others with a smug smile on his face. "You all can thank me for getting rid of him, by the way."

"Gene," Mary began cautiously as she came and stood by him. Something in her voice seemed...worried. Very worried. "Do you think Ralph was really serious about all this?"

"Pff, who _cares?!"_ Gene commented as he picked up Ralph's nasty party bowl (ironically gagging as he did) and tossed it in a low trash can by Mr.Litwak's desk. "It doesn't matter, anyways- it got him away from us! Besides, we all know he's going to lose!"

 _Did you ever stopped to think about what might happen to us if that happened, though?! _Felix snapped mentally in response, shocked and ashamed by the harshness of his tone- even though it was in his own head. _Whether you want to admit it or not, you know that bet was a_ ** _really_** _a bad move, Gene! We ourselves are all a part of this bet- and we all -especially Ralph- may end up paying for it, too!..._

 _This is just horrible! I have to say something to Gene,_ the corgi then rashly decided. _I've got_ _to convince him to chase Ralph down and take back the bet-_

But before Felix could even begin to muster up a tiny part of the courage it would take to open his mouth, Gene butted into his thoughts again.

"Let's get the water cleaned up and go back to partying, guys!" the pug chimed happily. "We don't have to worry about any more interruptions now!"

At his invitation, the other animals around him eyed each other, clearly not so sure how they felt about that idea. It seemed weirdly _wrong_ going back to a party that caused a dog to snap and run off the way Ralph did...

But the persuading look Gene was giving them was enough to cause the animals to decide that all truly was ok...

Besides, they figured, what all could happen in the tiny time span of just 3 days?

Finally giving him the many happy nodded in agreement he was desiring, the pug darted towards Skrillex to see if he could resume the upbeat party music. When the hare agreed and hopped up back onto the desk, party jams were played on quickly- and everyone...well, _almost_ everyone... quickly got to work of somehow cleaning up the water that was everywhere.

Once the water was soaked up and the floor was dry ground again, those who hadn't yet polished off the dog treats in their bowl did so- and before long, everything looked the way it did before Ralph crashed the party.

The dancing resumed, the laughing continued, the joking proceeded- everything was back to normal as if nothing had happened.

But something did happen. Something major. Something dangerous and risky...

Something truly _bad_.

And it killed a certain corgi to know that it was partially his fault.

Felix was the only animal that was now no longer in the 'party mood'. He didn't go back to eating, back to dancing, back to the fun and merrimaking he had enjoyed so much not even a few hours ago it seemed.

All Felix could do was shake -and mentally reprimanded and kick himself for not saying more, not standing up for Ralph and speaking out against Gene's wrong behavior...

The others -especially Gene- noticed the corgi's absence and quietness and often tried to coax him to join them, to enjoy the party again, because the whole party was in honor of the pet shop's perfect mascot, right?...

But Felix just couldn't do it. He couldn't eat with the hole forming in his stomach. He couldn't dance while his legs felt so shaky. He couldn't have fun anymore; his mind would've plagued him too much for it.

So the corgi shut down, blocked it all out- and before long, the scene behind him was the last thing weighing on his mind. The pet shop anniversary party -as important and fun as it had started out to be to him- meant nothing to the corgi now.

Because a part of the pet shop -a very, very important part of it, at that- was gone now...and possibly forever onward.

At the bone-chilling thought, the corgi just sat and stared at the place where Ralph had been just a little bit before- and before he knew it, it had become _hours_ before.

Maybe a part of him thought Ralph would come back tonight, decide the whole idea was stupid and pointless and that everything would just be better if he stayed...

But as the party started to wind down to an end, as the decorations were picked up, as every mouth was yawning tiredly, and finally as each animal stumbled off to their cuddly bed, it was undoubtedly clear in the all-too-awake Felix's mind.

Ralph wasn't coming back until he got the collar...

And nothing had ever made the corgi more afraid than that single fact.

"So...Ralph's really gone, eh, Felix?" A monotoned voice startled Felix by asking, causing the corgi to jump a few feet in the air. He had thought everyone had gone to bed, but saw that Glen was still wide awake as well and had inquired of the corgi.

Sighing, Felix wanted to answer the turtle, but couldn't for some reason. All he did was continue to sit in complete silence, his little corgi mouth still partly opened in shock as his long, orange ears stayed glued to the back of his head.

The good, small dog didn't know what was going to exactly happen in the next 3 days, but he did know one thing:

 _This can not be good._


	17. Chapter 16: Tapper's

**Chapter 16:** **Tapper's**

Seeming jumpy and uneasy at the dim-lit, tiny room he was in, Ralph glanced around him quickly, seeing no one else was close to the worn plank board the dogs around town dubbed 'the bar top'. His fear alleviated to know no one else was possibly listening in, the mastiff leaned secretively forward and finally allowed his eyes to solely land on a french bulldog named Tapper in front of him.

Knowing full well how deep and serious his eyes had become, Ralph gulped down the knot forming in his stomach. He hated that he had to plead with the bulldog working at the one-stop, bar top for the pooches in town- but Ralph was desperate for leads at this point. After all, the mastiff knew he could come straight to Tapper after making the deal with Gene, knowing the bulldog could help him- as a strange, semi-friend of some sort.

In return to the mastiff's pointed glares between weirdly shot his way, Tapper just raised a curious, unsure eyebrow. Ralph had been a regular at his bar-esque hot spot for well over a year now... yet tonight, the normally quiet, stand-offish mastiff seemed on edge, beyond forlorn, and more assertive than usually.

"Okay, Tapper," Ralph suddenly began, his voice so low it was almost a whisper, "here's what I need..."

"Another cold one?" the chubby bulldog predicted as he grabbed Ralph's drinking bowl, about to fill it up again. He started to twist a bottle of watered-down beer open with his mouth when Ralph stopped him.

"No, no," the mastiff shook his head, leaning forward a bit more across the board he towered over. "I need your help with something...else. Some advice, really. For a...er, _problem_ I have."

Forcing himself to shrug casually, Ralph tried to shake off his words as if they were nothing of real importance. He was almost even able to forget that his very place back at home wasn't at stake in any way.

The buff french bulldog before him, though, could sense something was up. In his many years of running his makeshift bar, Tapper never had one of his customers come in asking for his input before- and it was even odder for it to be coming from the aloof bull mastiff before him.

"Advice for a problem, eh?" he asked curiously. "What kinda advice are you looking for, Ralph?"

"Well, uh...," Ralph stumbled, apathetically looking upwards to try to find the right words to use. "I guess I'm just looking for a place where I can get, um... a new collar and shiny new tags," he finally spat out, wincing at his awkward, strange request.

At the tense large dog's unusual inquiry, the bulldog blankly stared. "Huh?"

"Ya know," Ralph continued, shifting slightly uncomfortably. "A place where I can get a new collar and tags. Free of charge. 'Cause I earned it by being a good dog and stuff like that."

His confusion only deepening, Tapper cocked his head to the side. "From someone... _other_ _than_ your owner?"

"Uh, yeah," Ralph answered, his eyes inadvertently begging for a satisfying reply from the bar owner. "It's kinda important, Tap..."

The smallish bulldog was silent for a moment as he licked the makeshift table between them, precariously thinking as he did so- leaving Ralph holding onto a deep breath.

"Uh, I hate to break it to ya, buddy," Tapper finally admitted, "but I don't think such a place exist. I think you just have to, ya know, earn the new collar and whatnot from your _owners_."

Shoulders slumping considerately, Ralph huffed in indignation. That was not what he wanted -or needed- to hear right now.

"Well, I've already tried that and it obviously has not worked!" he hissed out, eyes narrowed at the shrugging bulldog.

"I'm sorry, Ralph," Tapper countered gently and sincerely, busying himself by cleaning the bar top again. "But I just can't help you there."

"Oh, come _on!"_ Ralph rolled his eyes, his frustration growing. "You practically know every place and everyone in _the whole town of Arcadia!_ There's gotta be-"

"Hey, Tapper!" a mutt near the back of the dimly lit room called out, interrupting Ralph's plight. Both he and Tapper turned to eye the pooch, who was swaying slightly in his seat. "Need another round over here!"

Growling through clenched teeth, Ralph steamed as Tapper politely excused himself from their conversation and went off quickly to help the other dog. Right before the bulldog was able to come back, though, another customer called out for another round, causing Tapper to send a discreet shrug Ralph's way and hurry off to help the other bar attendee.

His impatience growing by each irritating second, the mastiff hunched over and glared around in spite at the other dogs. He quickly realized that the bar was busier than usual... which meant more customers who would need drinks- and the less time and information Ralph got from Tapper.

 _Maybe this wasn't the best idea to come to him for help,_ the mastiff thought anxiously, fidgeting as he forced himself to sit down. _I can't just sit here and wait all night for him to help the others! That's just wasting precious time!_

Gulping down the bad dog anger inside him threatening to leak out, the mastiff forced himself to breathe slowly to remain calm and patient. He reminded himself that he still had about three days left to get his good dog collar before the bet was up- and once he found out just where to get one, it'll be as easy as burning a pie to get that collar...

At least, he certainly _hoped_ it was...

Wanting to distract himself from his growing worries, Ralph resorted to silently eyed the rest of the neglected mutts around him more closely. At his exanimation, he realized these dogs weren't just random pooches from around town; these were mere acquaintances of fellow bad dogs. A few of them he even recognized from the Bad-Anon meeting earlier.

Regardless of whether he knew them well or not, Ralph watched as the other dogs were stumbling around slightly. They were howling and hollering and lapping up even more alcohol-tainted water, getting a little more tipsy with each lick.

At their behavior, the mastiff reminisced on how on any other night that would've been him joining them. Practically every day, he'd come to this same bar after Mr.Litwak's Pet Shop closed. After being treated the same way all day, he'd tried to drink away his worries and pain and _badness_ as all these other mutts were obviously trying to...

But Ralph wasn't going to do so tonight- nor ever again. He finally had something more to prove...and was determined to change from a bad dog to a good one.

Finally done with filling his orders, Tapper came back in his position in front of Ralph again after a few minutes- which the mastiff quickly took as an opportunity to continue his plea.

"Come on, Tapper," Ralph cried pitifully, his voice frantic and whiny. "You _gotta_ know of a place where I can get a new collar! I'm kinda desperate for one! I- I can't go back home with one!" he finally admitted as he shrunk back a little bit.

Narrowing his eyes once again, Tapper leaned closer towards the cowarding bull mastiff. "What on earth kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into, Ralph?" he asked wearily.

His folded ears flattening, Ralph glared at the bar owner, sudden insulted by the bulldog wanting more information.

"It's nothing. I just need a new collar, ok?" Ralph quickly rushed out irritatedly. He impatiently eyed the bulldog in one last desperate attempt to get help. "So, can you help me or not?..."

In a hopeless response, Tapper just sighed and shrugged once again. "I wish I could, Ralph," he told him gently with soft eyes. "But I just can't really think of anywhere or anyone that could help ya get a good dog collar."

When Ralph sighed exasperatedly and physically slumped in misery, Tapper finally gave him the only idea he could faintly think of as he rushed off to help another needy customer calling out for another round.

"I don't know if it'll help you at all," the bulldog muttered over his shoulder, "but you're more than welcome to dig through the lost and found in the back! Maybe someone buried a newer collar there for some reason!"


	18. Chapter 17: Lost and Found

**Chapter 17: Lost and Found**

Stumbling into the back of the building where Tapper's bar was, Ralph eyed the sign the bulldog had made. The words 'Lost and Found' on it faded were slightly, and was bearly even legible anymore.

The mastiff sighed tiredly as he looked across at the place bearing the lost and found name: a small lot of dirt and patches of grass, all semi-fenced in by two adjacent bobwire fences, one tall, solo streetlight and one steady wall that connected to the building almost right beside the shack Tapper's had.

There were many small dirt mounds on the lot- all clearly containing something hidden underneath. Ralph knew that Tapper and his 'employees' would come back here and bury anything and everything found at the busy bar after closing time...and somehow knowing that already made the mastiff exhausted.

He reluctantly chose one hill that looked somewhat promising and moseyed over to it. Sniffing the dirt mound gingerly, he decided this one as good as any hill to start with.

 _Well, for once I'm glad my paws are so stupid big,_ the mastiff had the offhand thought as he began to dig, kicking dirt fast behind him. _The bigger the paws, the faster I can dig..._

In a matter of seconds, in fact, Ralph had already reached whatever it was that had been buried under the surface of the mound. Briefly examining the object found, he saw that it was a dirty, odd-shaped...thing.

Definitely not a collar in any way.

"Okay," he sighed discouragedly as he clutched the item within his mouth and gently pulled it up from the clinging dirt. "Let's see what we got here."

Gingerly shaking off the rest of the clinging dirt and setting it down softly, Ralph began sniffing... well, whatever it was. He quickly got a strong whiff that the disregarded item had clearly belonged to Bowser at one point, probably left behind by the pit bull and buried here later on the same night.

Flipping the item over a few times and looking at it from different angles, Ralph quickly realized that the odd item was Bowser's old squeak toy. He recalled that the tough pitbull had complained about losing a cherish mushroom-shaped toy back at the Bad Dog meeting- earning some lighthearted snickers and smirks from most of the others at the meeting.

Gently shuffling the toy over to the side, Ralph made a mental note to tell Bowser about finding it after the whole deal ended.

 _If it ever does end,_ the mastiff thought with an uneasy, miserable gulp. He had only made that deal with Gene a little over an hour ago and he already felt slightly defeated...and even regretted it ever so slightly.

 _No, I can't regret anything now,_ Ralph quickly reprimanded himself, puffing out his chest a little. _Think positively here, Ralph! You **will** get that good dog collar, whether it'd be here at Tapper's or somewhere else._

Filled with renewed zeal, he quickly abandoned the mushroom toy and selected another hill to dig through... in which he only found another dog toy.

Abandoning both it and it's hill as well, he went after another mound...and then another...and another...

After digging through what seemed like two or three dozen hills one right after the other, Ralph found that his search had come with nothing of real value. Under the single streetlight shining down high above, he saw that all he had was a big pile containing a bunch random things -like a few chewed up dog brushes, two very old leashes, tons of various speak toys (the oddest one shaped little a cutesy scorpion), and one fluffy but now dirty sweater that Ralph assumed belonged to Zangief.

But not a single collar. Not even a _bad_ dog collar.

Panting slightly from his pointless and taxing hunt, Ralph began to feel like giving up- and like he had wasted valuable time.

"What am I going to _do?_ " the mastiff miserably growled at himself as he flopped down in defeat.

After a moment of seeking to think of any other possible ideas -all which passed in vain- Ralph finally stood up and began walking back towards the bar. His massive head hung embarrassingly low, the mastiff stared at the uneven ground before him and started to try to think of a plausible plan B.

As he about to detachedly pass the lost and found sign once again, Ralph felt another large dog brush roughly by him as he walked passed- so roughly that he nearly causing the strong, steady mastiff to stumble and fall.

Annoyed, Ralph turned to glare at the rude mutt. "Hey, excuse you!" he hissed disgustedly at him...

Only to find the fellow large dog seemingly hadn't even heard him. Or noticed him.

The animal just kept lumbering forward, blocking out everything around him.

As his ears twitched slightly in curious confusion, Ralph's ears suddenly picked up what the dog was incoherently mumbling.

"Destroy all mutations, we're Arcadia's last hope...destroy all mutations, we're Arcadia's last hope..." the mutt slurred on and on, over and over again as he walked and tripped forward. It was as if he was partially out of his mind, zombified by some strange force...

The irritated mastiff was about to shrug the dog off as another slight drunk attempting to venture out from Tappers... But then Ralph watched as the other animal stumbled several times, tripping over the holes the mastiff had left in the yard. Yet, the dog would repeatedly catch himself each time- and droned forward in a straight line.

 _A drunk mutt can't walk in that straight of a line,_ Ralph quickly realized, his fur-raising a little bit on the back of his neck. He cautiously took a whiff of the pawprints beside him left by the dog. He doesn't smell like any liquid, either.

Something else was wrong...

Peering forward under the view of the streetlight, the mastiff only then realized that this strange dog wasn't just any another bum off the street, either- he had on some sort of special vest...but was now too far away for Ralph to be able to read it clearly.

His curiosity beyond peeked, Ralph cautiously and slowly followed the other dog, making sure that he kept a safe distance from him in case this dog decided to snap.

The two made their strange way across the dirt pit- and it was only Ralph that seemed to realize that they were running out of available space as they trekked towards the building next to the lot.

 _Uh...d_ _oesn't he see the building ahead of him?_ Ralph wondered- but the vested dog ahead of him didn't seem to notice that the wall before him was quickly approaching...

Until he literally ran smack into said wall, slightly causing him to go bouncing backward at the force- and causing Ralph to jump back in alarm.

 _Ooh- t_ _hat had to hurt,_ the mastiff winced semi-sympathetically...but such a ramming didn't see to faze the other dog whatsoever.

In fact, the fellow pooch even tried to _keep_ walking, completely ignoring the fact that the wall was there- and that he was repeatedly running into it. It was like his paws were on automatic marching mode, his mind clouded up so badly he couldn't even feel the pain of the wall... all while he continued to chant the same strange phrase.

"Destroy all mutations, we're Arcadia's last hope...destroy all mutations, we're Arcadia's last hope..."

 _What is **with** this guy? _the mastiff questioned, backing up a bit as the unaffected mutt proceeded to hit the wall again- before seeing that he was now close enough to clearly read the dog's vest.

The zombie dog -a german shepherd, Ralph now realized- must be in the armed forces somehow. The vest he wore said 'K-9 Special Unit', the wording bright and now more legible in its yellow coloring on top of a dark blue vest.

His eyes widening in intimidation with that realization, Ralph backed up that much more. He knew the dogs that worked for the Arcadia's police station could be less than strict and intense with all the training they receive...

And adding in that this particular pooch before him was obviously a little on the crazy side didn't help the situation.

The mastiff was about to make a break for it, run back into Tapper and high tail it out of the scene- but suddenly decided against it.

 _This mutt is wacked out_... _but I can't just let him continue to run into the wall!_ he thought dividedly, longingly looking over his shoulder as he silently begged another sane animal to come up behind them to help.

Glancing back at the deranged german shepherd before him, Ralph's inner self would not allow him to ditch the crazy pooch. Begrudgingly rolling his eyes, the mastiff ventured forward. Slowly and cautiously.

"Uh, h-hey there buddy," Ralph called out softly as inched towards the other dog, not wanting to scare the haywire police dog.

When the K-9 pooch gave him no response but more ramming into the wall and mumbling about mutations, Ralph finally approached him closer. Clearing his throat, the mastiff finally nudged the dog gently on one of his hindquarters, Ralph's large paw somehow dwarfing the others' hip bone.

"You okay there-"

All at once being touched, the K-9 mutt was knocked out of his zombie-like trance and flipped around haphazardly to face Ralph- startling the mastiff completely and causing him to jump back.

"I've only been there a week!" the dog cried out, his voice loud and shrill as unsolicited drool leaked from his mouth. "And every day, it's come to work and fight scorpions! Come to work, fight more scorpions!"

At his strange sob story, the once stoic pooch practically began melting in front of Ralph's tall legs, weeping as he did.

Gulping nervously, Ralph backed up even more, clearly being freaked out by the other animal's strange behavior. But upon realizing the sobbing dog wasn't going to viciously jump on him to attack or anything, the mastiff felt his tense muscles relax a little.

 _Clearly this dog is a little stressed or had a long day back at the office,_ Ralph figured, suddenly feeling a twinge of pity. He came a little closer to the other dog- yet still kept a safe distance.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say, buddy," the mastiff finally answered, taking what the distressful dog's crazy words with a grain of salt. "But trust me, it's tough all over, ok?"

But his words seemed to barely affect the other dog, who was now shaking and hyperventilating heavy. The dog's eyes started to dart around frantically as well, seeming to be deathly afraid that something or someone would attack them suddenly if they weren't vigilant enough...

Deciding there was nothing he could do to comfort the now paranoid dog, the mastiff timidly turned to leave him be.

 _He's got some serious issues- and has to talk himself out of them,_ Ralph figured as the dog heaved. He felt back leaving him, but figured there was nothing else that he could do. _So..I'm just going to go now..._

Plus, it wasn't like Ralph had all the time in the world to deal with some crazy cop dog with a supposed scorpion problem.

As the mastiff ventured back towards to bar, the other dog didn't even seem to notice Ralph was leaving him behind. He was freaking out too much at this point.

The crazy canine did continue to verbally express his plight, however- despite not earning any empathy from a now apathetic Ralph this time.

"And what's it all for?" the vested german shepherd whined miserably to no one in particular as he stood up a little stronger. "Just to earn some...some lousy **_good dog_** ** _collar?!"_**


	19. Chapter 18: Collar of Good Dogs

**Chapter 18:** **Collar of Good Dogs**

At the dog agonizing words behind him, Ralph's ear twitched sharply. His body froze in place so fast he was nearly catapulted forward as he felt his eyes double in size.

What had that crazy K-9 dog just said?

"A- a collar?!" the mastiff spat out as he suddenly flipped around to face the canine cop. "You-you get a new collar?!"

"Yes," the German shepherd confirmed miserably, somehow shrinking up that much more as his large ears flattened. "A new collar for good dogs."

Unable to hold back from openly gawking, Ralph felt a slow, wide smile stretch across his face. For the first time in a long time, he felt his tail wag uncontrollably like a puppy for a moment.

 _This can't be true!!_ the mastiff mentally denied...yet he could literally feel his excitement growing. _Finally! I'm getting somewhere!_

"Ooh!" he woofed out as he cautiously but anxiously approached the cop dog again. "And-and it's got tags? Like shiny tags?!"

At his questioning, the fellow dog shrugged emptily. "Pretty shiny...?"

"And the tags say 'good dog' on them?!" Ralph pushed on, his excitement growing stronger and stronger by the second.

The mutt before him eyed him ridiculously, sane enough to pick up on just how overly-excited Ralph was getting. In fact, the freaked out dog backed up a little as Ralph further approached.

"Well, yeah-"

"Ooh! And you said you get it by _fighting sco_ _rpions?"_ the mastiff confirmed, his voice almost mocking the requirement.

At the mere word, however, the fellow dog straightened up in rapt attention as he yelped, eyes wide and alert. Shaking, he cowered back once again.

 _"M-mutated_ scorpions!" the dog answered threateningly, his tail tucked between his legs in sudden fear.

Forcing himself not to mockingly roll his eyes at the other dog's sudden fear, Ralph brushed the comment off.

This cop dog was clearly off his rocker; there was no such thing as mutated scorpions! Never have been, never would be- mutated animals just didn't exist...

 _Besides, look at the pooch claiming they exist,_ Ralph further mocked mentally as he watched the cop dog's head jerked around anxiously in all directions, afraid of something...someone lurking in the darkness...

But if 'fighting' these make-believe pests would get Ralph his collar, why wouldn't he try it?

"Right, mutated scorpions- got it," he droned quickly. "So... is there any way I can come with ya and, you know... get me one of those collars?" he asked then hopefully.

At Ralph's request, the canine cop suddenly held his head still and glared back at the mastiff.

"Negatory!" he answered, face completely serious and stone cold as he sat straight up.

In return, Ralph looked at him puzzled, softly cocking his head to the side. "Does that mean maybe?"

"No!" the other mutt hissed harshly as he slowly crept towards Ralph. "Look! Only the bravest, best canines can serve in our core!"

Before Ralph could continue to beg, he backed up in intimidation...and accidentally stepped on the small, cutesy rudder scorpion toy he had dug up earlier, it's loud squeaker grabbing both of the dogs' attention.

At realizing just what the toy was supposed to look like, the german shepherd's eyes suddenly went wide.

"SCORPION!" he shrieked shrilly as he quickly turned to scrambled away...

Only to run right back into the brick wall, this time pasting out with the direct force to his head

As the dog crumbled to the dirt ground, Ralph gulped and winced slightly- his wide eyes dancing from the passed out cop dog and the discolored, worn out scorpion toy made for puppies by his back paw.

 _Maybe those mutated options are real_, his mind mused nervously. _Even crazy dogs don't get that scared of a toy look-alike..._

 _And_ _if such a large, tough dog like this can get scared from a mere toy_ _scorpion_ , his conscience warned him worriedly, _t_ _hen just what are these real mutated scorpions like?..._

His ears flat up against his head, the nervous mastiff was about to turn and bolt, leaving the crazy, knocked out cop dog by himself...

Before the image on a bright, shiny, new good dog collar tauntingly flashed in Ralph's mind, causing him to halt in his tracks.

At least he knew he could get one from the police force now...But just how would he do so without being on the K-9 team?

The sorrowful mastiff apprehensively peered back at the fallen german shepherd -and the K-9 vest said cop dog was wearing...

And all at once, an idea suddenly occurred Ralph -one beyond very risky and dangerous, and one that might not even begin to work...

But Ralph quickly decided that it was worth taking a chance on. No matter how dumb or flaky it seemed.

Suddenly taking the dog's earlier warning with a grain of salt, Ralph flicked the scorpion toy at his feet with one sweep of his massive paw. A sly smile appeared across his lips as he secretively glanced around him and approached the fallen soldier dog.

What he was about to do was no doubt illegal, stupid, bad-dogish...and just plain wrong, he knew deep down...

But at the moment, the smug mastiff could only think one thing.

 _It's going to be almost too easy to get my new collar._


	20. Chapter 19: InVESTing in Opportunities

**Chapter 19: InVESTing in Opportunities**

 _Thank goodness that crazy german shepherd was a little on the big side,_ Ralph thankfully thought with a huff, bearly able to breathe properly as he approached the large police station before him. _If he was any smaller, I'd bust this thing for sure._

The snug police dog vest he was now wearing, fitted for a heavy-set german shepherd, barely held together around the mastiff. His steady build had instantly bulged out of the uniform's seams when he had somehow slipped it over his head, nearly causing it to rip as it squeezed him- and now it was currently cutting into his large sides despite only having in on for a few dozen minutes.

Ignoring the pain it was causing him, Ralph begrudgingly trudged forward, starting to feel claustrophobic in such a tight uniform.

At the sudden sound of something rustling near by, the mastiff quickly tried to inconspicuously dart behind a nearby bush- but unable to move as fast as he wanted because of the vest, he ended up clumsily tripping and falling on his face.

"Stupid tight vest," he growled embarrassingly, thankful no one was around to witness his fall as he stiffly sat back up. "Why do they make them _wear_ these stupid things, anyway?"

Rolling his eyes, Ralph peered out at the entrance sign to the station in front of him. Ironically, his mind began to wander back to the somewhat crime he had committed just a few minutes prior...and began to think about how it was probably not considered good dog worthy.

The fallen soldier, the cop dog (whose name Ralph found out was Markowski from reading the vest) had been knocked out cold by running head first into the brick wall...

How could the mastiff _not_ see an opportunity then?

And he knew that he had to take the opportunity before it -and his hope of a new collar- completely slipped away.

Silently and unnoticed by the world around him, Ralph had quickly and carefully slipped the vest off the real cop and somehow had managed to slip it on himself. The uniform immediately squeezed him snuggly, restricting him as he quickly and clumsily stumbled away from the crime scene...

 _No_ , Ralph interrupted himself as shook his head, trying to justify his actions. _That was not a crime. Any dog would've taken that vest given the opportunity!_

Ignoring the guilt growing in his chest, though, the nervous mastiff forced his mind back at to the police station- and more importantly, how in the world he was going to get inside it...and just how he was going to get a good dog collar.

Gulping, he watched as a middle-aged cop with overly spiky hair approached the entrance of the station. Balancing a box of donuts on his hand, the cop rushed inside the pair of automatic doors.

That Markowski mutt has no reason to have a K-9 vest now, anyhow, being past out and all, Ralph then continued reasoned with himself absentmindedly, trying to lessen the guilt growing inside him as he stared at the double doors shutting. I need this vest more than he ever would, anyways.

After a few minutes, the automatic doors suddenly opened once again, capturing the mastiff's attention. This time an short, mustached policeman appeared, making his way outside as he munched on a chocolate donut. He was laughing it up with a slightly skinnier, taller man who follow in suit- also bearing a mustache.

"Thanks for the donuts, Sonic!" The tall cop called over his shoulder as he and his friend made their way out, pausing for a moment to peer out at the weather from under the safety of the awning.

The short lawman whistled, shaking his head at the pouring rain. "Can you believe this weather we're havin', Luigi?! Mama Mia, it feels like it's about to rain cats and dogs out here!"

The tall cop nodded in agreement. "You're definitely right, Mario! At least we don't have to _work_ out in this mess now. Our shift is _over!_ _"_ The two shared another round of annoying laugher as they high fived each other with their free hand, shoveling more bites of donuts into their mouths with the other.

"Shee ya thomorrow, Koopa!" Mario called, with a mouth filled of donut chunks, over his shoulder to the security guard sitting at a desk just inside the entryway.

The security guard, however, never responded with an intelligent reply, other than slight mumbling. He was too busy snoozing with his police hat tipped down over his eyes and feet up lazily on his desk.

Curiously, Ralph waited for the automatic double doors to shut once again as the cops walked away, but the doors didn't. That was odd.

 _I thought those doors were automatic?_ He thought in confusion. _So why aren't they closing?_

From his distance, the mastiff attempted to peer inside the station- seeing the security guard was starting to snore so loud it woke himself with a startle. The turtle-esque man at once realized the doors were still open and, looking a little embarrassed, he quickly reached over and pushed a button.

And as if like magic, the double doors shut again. All at the push of a button.

Realized quickly that these doors were different from other doors he had seen, Ralph raised his furry eyebrows.

These police station doors didn't open or shut automatically as some doors did. Instead, the doors were controlled by a button that opened and closed them, for the station's security, apparently.

And clearly it was a security guard's job to control them...

In this case, a very _sleepy_ security guard's job.

In his rib-crushing, tight-fitting new uniform, Ralph smirked in his hiding place as another ingenious idea hit him. Getting inside the station going to be no real problem for him.

All he needed now was just another opportunity to take.


	21. Chapter 20: Stealthy Fill-In

**Chapter 20: Stealthy Fill-In**

Intensely watching as another cop made his way out the double doors, Ralph saw the cop merely tipping his hat to the sleepy security guard, seeming unconcerned that he was so tired.

Upon peering inside, the mastiff saw the security guard, Koopa, was once again sawing logs and leaning his chair back as far as it would go. Fast asleep, he snored away as he did so...

And leaving the magical button that opened and closed the set of doors unattended.

After making sure the cop who had exited was long gone -and after a little psyching himself up enough- Ralph finally darted out of the bushes and across the street. He moved in at incredible speed despite the tight vest, honestly amazing himself.

Walzing up to the doors, he precatiously peered inside, seeing no other cops were around the doors or enteryway.

Making extra sure the security guard at the desk was still asleep, the mastiff shrunk down as low to ground as he could- doing so nearly impossible in the stupid tight vest. Crawling on his stomach, he somehow slipped noiselessly and quickly through the doors...and just inside the main entryway of the station, he realized how hard his heart was pounding.

When he had passed the security desk completely, Ralph peered cautiously over his shoulder at the security guard, who was still snoozing away. The mastiff couldn't help but sigh in relief.

 _Nice stealth, Ralphie,_ he thought proudly. It was almost scarry how quiet he was somehow being; it was definitely a first for the big, clumsy dog.

Daring to stand up a little taller, the mastiff continued on his way through the entryway, looking over his shoulder every few seconds just to make sure the security guard wasn't stirred awake...

That was, of course, until Ralph accidentally bumped into a large, tall potted plant due to not looking where he was going.

Wincing, Ralph flattened his ears as the pot fell teetered on it's rim for a moment before falling over completely on it's side. As it hit the tile floor with a loud, mighty _crash_ , he shrunk that much more as the pot shattered into many different pieces.

"AHH!" The security guard screamed as he jumped up in fright at the sound, more than startled awake. He pushed his hat from off his eyes and habitually leaned forward to push the button to shut the doors magically again.

Turning to see a stone frozen Ralph -who was cowarding like a puppy in the corner as he shook at the realization he had been caught- the guard raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The cop's eyes themselves then seemed to dance back and forth from the shaking mastiff to the double doors for a few terrorizing moments. As he did, he stayed silent- making Ralph hold in a shaky breath.

Reaching a conclusion, Koopa finally got up from his chair and peered curiously at the mastiff. Approaching the nervous dog, the guard knelt down right in front of him- and looked over the vest Ralph was wearing.

To Ralph's complete shock, the man just whistled and shook his head slightly.

"Man, I'm glad I woke up and shut the doors before you got out there, buddy!" The security guard laughed as he ruffled Ralph's head. "Now let's get you back with the pack, uh..." he paused to look at Ralph's vest on the back. "Markowski."

Smiling tiredly, the clueless Koopa quickly grabbed an extra leash off his desk and clipped it in a little hole on Ralph's vest. Yawning, he began to lead the gawking mastiff into the main part of the station.

As he stumbled forward, Ralph eyes only seemed to grow in shock. How he had gotten through all that without being caught, he had no idea. He did, though, silently thank that this security guard was obviously just as clueless as they come; he would've been caught for sure how that not been the case.

As the two made their way through the police station, Ralph's heart began to pound with each lumbering step- although he quickly found there was no need to be so worry.

Each member of the police force they passed was pretty busy- rushing around with a stack of piled high papers, leading a sketchy inmate off to a cell, or conversing with another officer. Phone call after phone call was answered by a secretary-esque woman, who merely nodded Koopa's and Ralph's way before scribbling something down on a notepad.

There wasn't one hiccup, not one double-take, not even one thing said in pasting about Ralph. He sure wasn't used to that.

After a few minutes of strolling by each occupied desk, the mastiff started to relax as reality hit him. He had somehow snuck into the police station- and was now right in the middle of it all!

 _Play it cool, Ralph,_ the dog told himself worriedly as they continued to walk on, heading towards the back of the station. _Don't freak out and blow your cover._

All at once, the two were met with one particular desk that had the box of donuts on it- and a ton of cops standing lazily nearby. Each policeman -and an occasional policewoman- had a cup of coffee in hand, enjoying their break as they went around and talked about this high-speed chase or that epic drug bust earlier in the day...

Causing Ralph to become more nervous than before. More relaxed cops gathered around meant more examining eyes could fall on him- and the more likely he'd be discovered as a fake.

Afraid of that happening, Ralph tried to walk a little faster and pull slightly at the end of the leash, silently pleading that the security guard he was attached to would pick up his nonchalant pace-

"Hey, Koopa!" Another cop standing at the crowed desk called out suddenly, causing the still yawning guard to pause- and Ralph to coward unseen behind him. "Taking that dog to the K-9 Unit?"

 _Wait..'u_ _nit'?_ The mastiff thought curiously as he peeked from behind the guard. _They have a whole unit of K-9s here in Arcadia? Where have I been?_

A lethargic smile coming upon his face, Koopa nodded at his fellow workers as he bent down to ruffle Ralph's head.

"Yup! This big guy almost slipped right out the doors!" the guard mentioned, causing the rest of the cops to share a laugh.

"That would've been a shame," one called out as he came over and scratched the mastiff downcasted chin. "He looks like he could be the strongest dog on the force!"

At the cop's warm words of praise, Ralph couldn't help but smile and wag his tail slightly, coming out from his hiding place behind Koopa. Loving the gently scratching he was getting under his chin, the dog decided being called "the strongest dog on the force" was pretty darn good in his book- and was a nice change of pace from being called a bad dog every day of his life.

"Wait!" One female cop's voice broke in abruptly, making the mastiff's tail slow down and smile to disappear. That voice sounded stern as steel- and full of authority.

Peering nervously at the spoken cop, Ralph saw that she wore a serious, sharp scowl- so deep and appalled it looked like she had a cup of freezing cold coffee first thing in the morning. Her long, dark hair was twisted into an equally long braid- somehow making her even more intimidating. In fact, as she stood there with strong crossed arms, Ralph realized she was one of the most intimidating humans he'd ever seen.

And the look in her dark, distrustful eyes cutting into him made Ralph know this intense cop was one of the head cops here in the station- and didn't just let anything sneak past her.

"This dog's not apart of our station! He's a bull mastiff!" The female cop stated ridiculously, uncrossing her arms to gesture toward the accused dog. "I don't even _have_ any of that breed in my unit."

Gulping nervously, Ralph winced slightly in his spot.

This lady sounded like she was the leader of the K-9 unit, who probably knew the animals on the force front and back- and could, of course, spot a fake from a mile away...including a very cubby, outcasted, imposter of bull mastiff.

The fact that the mastiff wasn't apart of the station was news to the security guard at the other end of the leash, who just cluelessly cocked his head down at the dog in question. "Wait...this isn't Markowski, Officer Croft?"

Rolling her eyes sharply, the tense female officer scoffed at the dense guard. "Uh, _no._ Markowski's a german shepherd, not a bull mastiff, Koopa."

"Then how in the blue blazes did this mastiff get in Markowski's vest?" The guard asked, completely puzzled.

As she left her place by the desk, Ralph couldn't help but back up nervously as the intimidating Officer Croft walk- no, _stalked_ towards him. He didn't like where this was going. At all.

Backing right into Koopa's legs and now nowhere to go, the shaking mastiff had no choice but allow the fierce female cop to run her hand gently yet sternly over his back. Somehow even her _hand_ felt like she was suspicious. "Better question: who in the heck is _this_ dog?"

 _Oh, no,_ Ralph panicked in horror as he shrunk back slightly. He'd been caught for sure this time.

Another cop, one with the thinkest crossed arms Ralph had ever seen, laughed mockingly at the serious woman. "Don't you remember, Officer Croft? Markowski got checked out a few days back. He already needed a break for all the trauma he's gone through on the force, especially recently. Poor guy," he mentioned, his joking tone replaced by a solemn one.

"And since one of the other pooches, Kohut, I think it was, had to go have surgery a few days ago," the man continued, "we sent in for a fill-in dog from Sugar Russia to place Kohut's and Markowski's place on the force."

Forcing himself not to gawk at his luck, Ralph gulped. _Phew,_ he sighed in relief. _Thank you, Veterinary Places. Turns out you really do serve a purpose after all._

But the law-woman wasn't so persuaded at the other officer's words, raising a sharp eyebrow down at Ralph's vest.

"Of course I remember that; I'm the one who sent in that request!" she growled, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest once more. "I just sent it in a few days ago...And that seems too soon for them to have already filled it- without my knowledge, no less..."

Turning towards the smirking male officer behind her, the woman then nodded towards a huge stack of papers on the desk. "Be useful for once and check the papers to see if this dog is checked in, Officer Cage. Something still seems off here. I don't think Sugar Russia would've been this irresponsible and just dropped this dog off without letting me see him first, nor would've put him in one of our removed dog's vests."

As the other cop begrudgingly replied, Ralph tucked his long tail between his strong legs in nervousness.

Crud. He'd been recaught.

"The paperwork does show that we have a replacement for him sent for him," Officer Cage mentioned as he thumbed lightly through the paperwork. "No time limit on when the replacement was going to get here, though, Lara."

Abandoning looking through the papers, Officer Cage shrugged off the K-9 leader's concerns.

"This has to be their replacement, Lara," the thick-armed cop smirked confidently at Officer Croft. "Why else would this dog be here for? Sounds like _you_ were just sleeping on the job and missed Sugar Russia dropping him off here."

Her eyes still narrowed in such an assumption, Officer Croft huffed. "Nothing gets past me, Johnny! How _dare_ you make such an accusation!"

Thinking over the matter at hand, though, she slowly turned back towards Ralph, who could do nothing but wagged his tail as unsuspiciously as he could.

 _Please, oh please believe it,_ he begged silently, putting on his best begging face he could muster. _Please fall over my crazy, unbelievable luck._

Sighing loudly, the female cop finally gave in- just slightly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance in being proved wrong... and even more annoyed at being accused of being lazy. Officer Croft may be a lot of things- but she knew wasn't lazy.

"Even though the paper's aren't saying this is the dog... Officer Cage must be right. This must be the fill-in," she stubbornly mumbled in agreement- but still not seeming to be completely convinced as she scratched her head in confusion. "Odd I didn't see the Sugar Russia unit drop him off, though...and why they put this pooch in Markowski's too-small vest is beyond me..."

Turning sharply towards Koopa, she suddenly pointed a finger at him, making him stand up straighter in rapt attention.

"Check to see who overstep their postion and signed off on this pup being okayed onto my force," she hissed to him, beyond aggravated as the cop spoken to nodded nervously.

Peering back down at the fake cop dog, Offier Croft narrowed her eyes at him- causing him to gulp- and silently continue in his plea.

So...he was 'on' the force- but would this stubborn woman let him _work_ on the force?

"We'll try the mastiff out and see how he does," she mumbled to no one in particular, somehow seeming to read Ralph's mind. "I just sure hope he last longer that the previous dogs did..."

The female officer finally nodded back at the security guard as she took another donut. "You better get him back to the K-9 Unit quickly. We're going to need all the help we can get with those mutated scorpions running around town."

Begining to lumber away, the think-skin woman eyed Ralph one last time...and thankfully disappeared around a corner, causing Ralph's heart to settle down in it's pounding. In fact, he swore it completely stopped for a minute before it rapidly began to beat in sheer shock.

For the second time in the past ten minutes, the mastiff couldn't help but gawk wide eyed. He couldn't believe his luck!

"It will be interesting to see how he does with the mutated scorptions," Offier Cage mentioned as raised his eyesbrows, slight fear on his face. "Although, coming from Sugar Russia, he's probably had to deal with his fair share of them..."

But the mastiff's ears bearly even acknowledged what was said. He just wagged his tail happily and in pure, unbelievable relief.

As Koopa was about to continue on his way leading Ralph, Offier Cage caused him to pause.

"Wait! Let's all welcome the fill-in mutt to the force!" He smiled as he rushed over and knelt down, snatching Ralph's head increbly softly. "I wonder what his name is..."

His tail seeming to taking a mind of its own, Ralph's entire behind wiggled in delight as the other cops approached him. They, too, welcome the newst memebet of the team with kind words of encouragement.

"He's so huge! I bet he can crush a mutated scorpion with one quick, hard _stomp_ of one of his front paws!"

"Bull mastiff are smart breeds...I bet he'll get adjusted to being on this force pretty fast!"

"Yeah, and this big guy seemd like a gentle giant, too! He's going to be such a great addition to the unit!"

"I'll be curious to see how Calhoun does with this new dog on the force...Although, I can't imagine anyone not getting along with this guy! He's so friendly!"

The kind words and gentle pats got even better when others cops around other desks left their places and came over to pat Ralph all over, gushing over how big and strong...and ironically happy he seemed to be.

A few dozen hands began petting him all at once, which would've overwhelmed any other pooch...but not Ralph. He had _never_ gotten so much good attention before- and he absolutely loved each pat, each word he was getting.

Soaking it all in, the mastiff's tail only seemed to wag faster- something he only remembered it doing a handful of times in his whole life. His insides twisting and turning in pure happiness with each gentle hand patting his head, his tongue couldn't help but hang out the side of his mouth as he smiled- a real, genuine smile.

Completely forgetting how tight the vest was (or even the life-changing deal he had agreed to earlier), Ralph decided being a fill-in K-9 pooch was easily the best decision he could've made.


	22. Chapter 21: Nice Welcome

**Chapter 21:** " **Nice" Welcome**

 **(A/N: Random Fun Fact!: The names of the police dogs in this chapter aren't random; I looked it up and turns out the other soliders in _Hero's Duty_ -besides Calhoun, Kohut, Markowski- have unknown names, such as Marco, Maddox and Mac (I added Madge), and they all start with M, with the exception of Calhoun and Kohut. Who knew?!)**

After soaking up all the love and attention of the human police officers, Ralph was lead away by the security guard and into a long, narrow hallway- the same one Officer Croft had gone down. The mastiff's ears were already filled with barking before they reached the end of it, Ralph peered up at his handler a little nervously.

He was still on that emotional high of all the love and attention he had gotten from the people here at the station...but how would the _fellow canines_ feel about Ralph being here?

When the two reached the end of the hallway, the mastiff saw that there was a single door, also controlled by a button. Straining to see out the window pane on the door, Ralph saw that daylight was slowly approaching- and that there were many kennels out in the large, fenced-in yard. Many, many dogs were running around freely inside the enclosed area, which was mostly just a large patch of dirt by now.

All at once the door opened- and every pooch paused their scampering around to turned and look at the door...seeing a newcomer to their force.

"Alright, here you go...uh, well, whatever you're name is, dog," the security guard told softly a gulping Ralph as he gave him a little push outside.

As the other cop dogs began to curiously approach, Ralph couldn't help but flatten his ears in growing fear. These of dogs should be fairly nice to him...but the darkening looks on their faces wasn't promising that.

"Now, you guys give this fill-in Markowski a _nice_ welcome, okay?" Koopa yawned out, pushing the button again. Sceonds later the door was shut tight- leaving Ralph out on his own.

A little more hesitant than before, Ralph forced his legs not to shake as he calmly and slowly approached the pack. He could do this.

"Uh, hey-oh!" he called out shakily, trying to break the deathly glares he was receiving as he approached the group casually. "M-my name's-"

"Where's Markowski?!" A golden retriever near the front hissed as he quickened in his steps towards the mastiff, followed in suit by the others behind. "And why are you wearing his vest?!"

Freezing in his place, Ralph quickly and nervously looked up at the lightening sky. "Uh, well, he's out for a while-"

"You didn't _kill_ him, didya?!" A black lab near the middle of the approaching group growled in at the mastiff's face, causing Ralph to look down at him in rapted attention.

"What? N-n! _Of course_ not!" the mastiff quickly stated, more on edge than ever. "I'm, uh, just his and Kohut's fill-in for a while!"

The black lab huffed back, clearly unimpressed with the mastiff's answer as he pushed his way towards the front.

"'Fill in? For a while?'" he mocked in Ralph's face. "I don't know where _you_ came from, mutt, but on _this_ force, it's either you stay here or you don't. You crack under pressure or keep going. You live...or you _die."_ He smirked wickedly before motioning towards the others around him. "We've all been on here for months now- all lasted this long because of our guts and determination, right, Marco?"

Marco, the golden retriever near the front of the vicious pack, smirked back at the lab. "Yeah. Kohut is only out because he had a literally bone-crush blow to the leg, requiring immediate surgery. He's tough- so he'll be back before long, though... You're not a replacement for _him_ ," he hissed sharply.

The golden then paused long enough to snort and shake his head harshly. "But that Markowski...You take his place _juuuust_ fine, heh."

"I _knew_ that scaredy cat of a german shepherd wouldn't last long," the back lab butted in, an evil smirk n his face. "What a _wimp_ he was. Only here a week- I can't believe he'd even make it _that_ far before having to check out, needing a, heh, _'mental evaluation'_ ".

The others cackled in sicking laugher as Ralph felt his eyes widen slightly and his body become tense all over. He had a bad feeling about this.

 _It sounds like all of these crazies need that mental evaluation, too_, he had the passing thought- but didn't dare say it out loud.

"So, you gotta name, Bulging Boy?" smirked out Marco when he noticed the mastiff's less than flattering tight vest. "Or do you prefer to be dubbed 'Wimpy's Replacement'?"

"Uh... it's Ralph," the mastiff mumbled, not sure how he felt being on a first name basis with such insane dogs.

Shuffling his paws slightly, Ralph was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. He now felt _really_ bad for taking that other dog's vest- for multiple reasons.

Shaking his head to clear it of the worrying thoughts filling it, the mastiff forced himself to remember why he was on this whacked-out K-9 force in the first place.

"So, uh, where are those good dog collars I heard Mark- er, the _human_ guys talking about inside?" he asked, reconsidering his words quickly. "They said you can earn-"

 _"You_ can't earn nothin', Chubby!" Marco hissed, his ears laying back as an angry look filled his eyes. "You're just a fill-in- and probably won't last a week, if that!"

"Yeah, why do _you_ even want to know, anyway?!" a smaller dog to Marco's left growled out, his own eyes narrowed in rage.

At their angry reaction to his mere question, Ralph backed up quickly. "Uh, well-"

"You really thought you can just _waltz_ on this force -as a weak fill-in, no less- and get yourself a collar?!" a chocolate labrador in the back exclaimed. "That's not how this force works, buddy!"

Rolling her eyes dramatically, the chocolate lab pushed her way to the front. "You must be from some little stupid station a couple of towns over. Here, you actually have to _earn_ that kind of collar. And only a few long-time warriors have actually _gotten_ it."

At the dishearting news, Ralph felt his desperate eyes subconsciously look around at the fellow canines' necks for the first time -only to be surprised to see that none of their collars was anything fancy. In fact, their worn-for-the-wear collars were barely a step above his old, frayed one.

His face unable to hide his disappointment, Ralph could literally feel his face fall at the sudden revelation. He'd work so hard to get here- just to find out that getting the collar was next to impossible?

Noticing the mastiff's face filled with despair, the black lab growled in anger. He gave Ralph a disgusted up-down, eyeing him suspiciously. "You tryin' to weasel your way in here to get yourself a collar, pushing everyone else back down the line, jerk-boy?" he hissed, beyond indicating that had better _not be_ Ralph's intentions.

Immediately filling with fear, Ralph silently shook his head. That wasn't his intention at all...at least, _now_ it wasn't since he knew it was next to impossible, anyway.

"'Cause it better _not_ be..." the black lab continued cockily, his dark face not able to hide his anger. "If it _is,_ you'll be fortunate just to get out of here with your neck attached to your fat body."

The golden retriever, normally a soft-spoken breed Ralph thought, cackled wickedly from his place by the black lab. He turned to grin at the pitch black lab.

"Oh, I don't think we have to worry about him one-uping us, Mac," the golden smirked to the lab. "By the looks of him, Tubby here won't last even _half_ the time needed to get one of the collars, anyways."

Mac's hard face softened into a laughing expression as he turned to his colleagues, all wearing a matching evil smirk. "Yeah, he'll probably resign, run off, or _be killed_ by a mutated scorpion by the end of the week!"

"Then _the replacement_ will need a replacement!" another dog cackled loudly, causing the others to cruelly joined in the vile laugher.

At their words, Ralph gulped down a new knot forming in his throat. _Well,_ _that's not entirely untrue, _he tried to comfort himself by thinking. _I_ _was planning out getting out of here the second I got my good dog collar..._

Which looked like was going to be _way_ harder (and take way longer) than he had originally anticipated. If it was even possible now...

"I dunno, guys," a small german shepherd with large, floppy ears voiced, eyeing Ralph with more uncertain eyes than ones filled with anger or disgust- a sight somehow refreshing to Ralph now. "This mastiff looks pretty strong...I bet he can-"

"Bet nothin', Maddox!" Mac hissed to the smaller dog, causing her to wince in her place. "You can't just be physically strong. A dog must be _mentally_ tough for what they are gonna have to see and deal with here in Arcadia. Especially with those mutated scorpions running around town."

The black lab paused to turn away from Maddox- and began to lean dangerously close to Ralph's face. "You destroy a couple of those scorpions -without one of them destroying _you_ \- and maybe, just _maybe_ , you can go up the ladder to get a good dog collar. But even then, you'll have to to wait a long time to get one, right, Madge?"

"Yeah," the chocolate lab spoken agreed, "a _long_ time, filled with earning your keep by fighting scorpions each day. And repeat. Fighting scorpions and repeat."

At her eerie words, Ralph's mind instantly filled with Markowski's words back at Tapper's- making his stomach flopped around.

 _'Come to work and fight scorpions! Come to work, fight more scorpions!'..._

 _Maybe I should've heeded his words a little better..._

An unsettled shutter rippled through Ralph's body- which didn't go unnoticed. At his clear nervousness, the group before him smirked savagely in the thickness in the air.

"I don't think this _Ralph_ mutt will even stand a chance," one decided out loud in a low voice... before giving Ralph a very evil, callous smile. "Or even make it through the _night_ , I bet."

His eyes wide, Ralph gulped and attempted to back up. He _didn't_ care to live up to that bet, that was sure. But as he stared at them all, it appeared that it was what these bizarre dogs actually... _wanted_...were planning on, even...

At his intimidated actions, they laughed once again- and it was then Ralph unfortunately understood just why Markowski was kind of crazy.

Because these dogs straight-up were, too.

A chill ran up Ralph's spine in horror as he stared right at the group of insane canines. They chortled with narrowed eyes in returned- and drew closer and closer to Ralph, forcing him to back up further.

Frantically and timidly pushed into a corner of the fence as they started to close in on him, Ralph slightly stumbled over his large paws in the process. He scrambled to get as far away as he could from these crazy dogs.

 _Oh, what in sweet milk bone have I gotten himself into?_ he thought in fear as he openly shook in fear, wishing more than anything in the world that he was back at home...and regretting he had made the bet in the first place.


	23. Chapter 22: Hole in the Door

**Chapter 22: Hole in the Door**

Back home, the pet shop was particularly quiet and calm- especially in comparison with, unbeknownst to them all, what Ralph was then experiencing. As dawn now approached, most of the animals were sleeping soundly in their beds, each dreaming quite peaceful dreams as they waited for Mr.Litwak to come and open up.

For them, the night had ended on a high note: the anniversary party had (mostly) been a huge hit- and most of the attendees had deeply enjoyed the shindig, now long over and mentally stored away as another great party...

And best of all, Ralph the bull mastiff was now gone. He had made his deal with Gene- and now the clumpy, huge mutt was gone. He'd run off, long disappeared, never to bother any of them again. Why _not_ celebrate over that simple dream come true?

But as a certain, still all-too-awake corgi knew, that simple 'dream' was nothing to celebrate over.

The night for said corgi had begun and ended in a way he never thought it would. Ended in a way he'd never wished in _million years_ it would've. In fact, he could safely say last night had been the longest, worst night of his entire life.

Because now the guard dog of Mr.Litwak's Petshop, it's very protector, was now gone. Poof. Just like that- all over some silly bet.

And now, for the first time in a long time, sleep had completely fled Felix- leaving him wide awake all night. In fear, in agony, in pure, unrelenting frustration and anger.. and _guilt._

Although knowing he desperately needed sleep, all night long his mind couldn't help but punish him, repeatedly stabbing at him over and over with mental words of anger.

 _You could've stopped this from happenin'- if you had just spoken up, you little dope!..._ _Ralph would still be here if you had defended him...treated him nicer...been a real friend to him!..._ _All of this could've been avoided if you had tried a little harder to convince Gene to invite Ralph to the party... And had told him out loud that dag-gum Bad Dog meeting was a bad idea!..._

Many times through the night Felix had these thoughts plaguing him, reprimanding him for what he did and didn't do. And many times through the night he was shocked at the language he used, disgusted with himself for having such a potty mouth...in his mind.

When he wasn't rebuking himself, the small dog couldn't help but keep wondering how any of the others could just sleep on, uncaring at the mess they had made...that he had _aided_ them in making...

Not a literal mess; the group had long clean up the anniversary party's remains. No, it was the bigger, way messier mess that had been created that made the concerned corgi worry so much- and so restless.

Apart from Felix still hoped and wished that Ralph would come back and fix the mess. That he'd come bouncing back through the hole in the door that he left, saying that he had realized his mistakes and that the world out there was harsher than he thought it'd be. And all would be good and perfect- and _safe_ again.

But as the seconds became minutes and the minutes became hours through the night, that hope Felix clung to waned painfully away- especially as the approaching sunrise suddenly burned his sleep-deprived eyes.

Still, all the small good dog could do was stare silently at the petshop's door, as he had done all night long. Right at the place where the doggy door once was- until it was, of course, broken off at its' hinges because of Ralph.

Head on his paws, Felix looked emptily outside, uncharacteristically ignoring the warmth from the upcoming sun. He lifted his head enough to gaze out onto the road, where cars zoomed by loudly- made even louder now with part of the door missing.

Laying his heavy-feeling head back onto his orange paws, Felix sighed as his little heart ached in pain.

 _This all is so very bad,_ he thought nervously, his huge eyes peering over to the clock above the cash register. 7:55 am.

He knew Mr.Litwak would walk up any minute- and immediately notice the hole in the door...and then that a certain bull mastiff was missing from his place outside by the door, his old blanket and doghouse empty and bare...

At the mere thought, Felix winced and shut his eyes tightly, hoping it would shut out his world of worries. Unfortunately, though, it only made them _worse_ as he mentally pictured Ralph all over again- and guilted swallowed him whole yet again as well.

 _Gene was wrong. As clumsy and big and destructive as he was, Ralph was still a big, important part of the pet shop. His frightening sized always intimidated people, especially the ones always up to no good..._ _With one low, threatening growl, he always made them take off running. And his judgments on those ones who were up to no good was always correct; I've had lost count at just how many times I've seen Ralph chase away someone only later to see their faces again on the news for some kind of crime..._Felix paused in his thinking to gulp down the lump forming in his throat...as well as the unsettling memories that were settling in.

 _Yes, Ralph was the strongest, fiercest the guard dog around- and Mr.Litwak kept him around for an obvious reason._

And now, he was gone.

A sudden, faint click of a doorknob was heard, making Felix' eyes jump open as his body froze in rapt attention.

 _Oh, no! It's happening again!_ he thought frantically, starting to shake helplessly as he eyed the front door in utter dispear...

To find that it was only Mr.Litwak unlocking the door, punctual as always.

Sighing in relief, Felix eyed the clock up on the wall and saw it was straight up 8- opening time. Forcing himself to stand up on shaky legs, the corgi banished his thoughts -for now- as Mr.Litwak slowly and bewilderedly came through the petshop's door.

"What is blue blazes happened here?" Felix heard the old man mumbled as turning to examine the hole in his pet shop's door, scratching his balding him in confusion.

Shaking his head, Mr.Litwak quickly switched on the lights- openly exposing the completely befuddled look on his face. Peering around with a look of extreme worry beginning to become etched on his face, the man's eyes finally fell on a miserable and anxious-looking Felix, standing up and shaking slightly.

His eyes widening, Mr.Litwak blocked everything else out -including the huge hole in his petshop's front door- and immediately focused solely on the corgi. He'd never seen Felix act like this; the mascot of the pet shop was usually bouncing around the room, more than happy when the old man came to through the door in the morning.

Something was wrong. Very wrong- and Mr.Litwak knew it had something to do with the doggy door missing in the front door.

"What's the matter, boy?" The pet shop owner asked Felix in concern, kneeling down to one knee on the floor and beckoned the corgi closer.

When Felix dragged himself forward, the old man gingerly picked him up and examined him- and at seeing the corgi was physically unharmed, his face relaxed a bit.

"Do you know what in the world happened to the door?" the older man wondered out loud to the corgi, peering deep into his dog's sorrowful eyes...and getting more worried by the minute.

In response, Felix just whimpered silently with his head hung low in a sadness his owner had never seen in him before- making Mr.Litwak worry even more

Absent-mindedly scratching the corgi's head, the man instinctively eyed the other animals around the petshop...and sighed in total relief to see that they were all starting to be stirred awake, everyone fine along with his Felix.

Holding the corgi a little closer to his chest, the old man's eyes danced around the room- then finally they landed on mangled remains of something metal left abandoned in front of the large aquarium. As he approached it, he squinted at it for a minute realized that it was the doggy door itself...and that it had been broken and ripped apart from the door. By something big...

And strong...and very, _very_ clumsy.

A small smile surfacing on his face, Mr.Litwak chuckled slightly- sounding somewhat relieved at seeing the doggy door in such shambles.

"Looks like this is _Ralph's_ doing, huh, Felix?" he asked the corgi, who helplessly gulped in reply. "Heh, he knows better than to try and make it through that little door anymore."

Rolling his eyes and adjusted his glasses, Mr.Litwak paused to shake his head...

Before suddenly asking the very question that stabbed Felix all over again.

"Wait...where _is_ Ralph, anyway?" The man finally connected as he put the two and two altogether. Upon getting no reply from a very shaking Felix, the old man came back over to the front door.

"It's not like Ralph to just not be here in the morning," he mumbled as he opened the door and peered outside, more worried than perplexed. "Where is he?"

Despite his anxiety climbing as Felix seemed to shake more and more, the concerned man set the corgi down and slipped back out the door...

And began whistling and calling out Ralph's name louder and louder, his voice getting more and more concerned by the second. In his old age, Mr.Litwak even walked up and down the street for a few minutes, searching for any sign of his giant guard dog...his friendly pooch...his beloved and loyal pet, Ralph...

And as his beloved owner suddenly came rushing back inside, searching for his cellphone to desperately call the pound, then Stephanie, then any other place he could think of where Ralph possibly could be at...

Felix couldn't help but place his shaking orange paws over his eyes as his ears replace flattened up against his head- knowing full well Ralph wouldn't be coming back any time soon.


	24. Chapter 23: Meeting the Sergeant

**Chapter 23: Meeting the Sergeant**

Back at the station, the K-9 dogs' eyes seemed to glow with murder in Ralph's face- their homicidal growling only getting more vicious by the second as they continued to force the huge, submissive dog to back up.

Finally getting to the point where he was completely pressed against the fence line, the mastiff began to panic.

 _This is it,_ he thought dramatically, merely waiting for his throat to get multiple sets of puncture holes it. _This is how I die...Someone tell Mr.Litwak I love him-_

When suddenly the back door of the station dramatically swung opened once again, hitting the side of the building with a loud, demanding _clang_.

At the alarming noise, each member of the threatening pack closing in on Ralph suddenly halted in their tracts, freezing in their attack. Quickly beginning to crane their necks around, the dogs' stiff, tense bodies blocked Ralph's visual of what was happening by the door.

"All of you mutts need to get front and center. _Now!"_ A rough canine voice demanded as the door slammed shut once again, making Ralph jump a bit in his place.

All at once, every pooch that had Ralph cornered abruptly abandoned him at the other canine's order, scurrying like field mice in order to obey the intimidating and strict command...

All except Ralph, still sitting on his hindquarters as he perplexingly watched the mutts retreat.

Each pooch -from Macro to Marge, even little Maddox- immediately scrambled into their supposed posts down in a line, everyone's backs turned towards Ralph as he watched in awe. How one order from a demanding voice could cause such a frenzy, he had no clue.

 _Hey, at least their off my hide now,_ the mastiff finally shrugged- before realizing this might be his only chance to escape the prison-like nightmare he'd found himself in.

Gulping, Ralph hesitantly knew that if he really left, though, he'd be back to square one- no real direction, no real idea of how to get a collar. But at the mere mental image of literally getting his tail ripped off by the insane group of dogs just a few feet over, he quickly figured having no collar was better than being dead. He'd just have to find another way to get a collar, he knew- one that didn't prove to be so...dog-gone _deadly_.

Eyeing around him, the mastiff saw that the entire area he and the other dogs were in was completely fenced in, a high metal fence keeping each police dog in and any intruding creature out. With no chance of sneaking back into the station -or jumping or climbing over such a high fence- Ralph decided the only way out was started digging at the fence line. And to dig _fast_ \- before the nutcase mutts decided to attack him again.

As quickly and quietly as he could, the mastiff started shelving dirt with his large front paws, careful not to send dirt flying all over the very dogs he didn't care to gain attention again.

 _Though I don't know if I have to worry too much about that,_ he reasoned as he briefly peered over his shoulder. _It looks like their eyes are too busy being glued to that other canine...whoever he is..._

"Alright, pussycats. We're down TWO soldiers as of today; both Kohut and Markowski are missing in action," the stern canine's voice called out as if reading Ralph's mind- although this time, it was clearer that the owner of the voice was actually a _female_ pooch. "We are still awaiting our arrival to take their place..."

Her words suddenly seemed to taper off in Ralph's mind for a split second. He paused his frantic digging, being completely and utterly perplexed at the canines' heavy words.

 _Wait...that Croft lady didn't mention anything about me out loud to this pooch?_ he pondered before shrugging slightly. _Aw well- I'm sure these psycho dogs will jump at a chance to explain everything before she can even finish in her rambling..._

Slightly curious to see just what their reaction would be, the mastiff abandoned his digging and leaned back, listening for one of the canines to raise the objection that Markowski's (and kinda, sorta Kohut's) fill-in was already here now...

But no one said a peep. Not one word.

All the dogs -who had earlier been so snarky, quick to interrupt, and dead set on attacking Ralph- were silently frozen in place. Their slender, vested backs were straight as pole- and somehow got even tenser as the female dog rushed on, her words reaching Ralph's ears again.

"...Thus, until we get our fill-in from the dandy little playground of Sugar Russia," her heavy voice hissed, "I expect each and every one of you mutts to pull _more_ weight than usual. Got that?"

At the female K-9's words, Ralph couldn't help but mockingly roll his eyes.

 _Yeah right, lady,_ he ridiculed in his mind. _Those psycho mutts aren't going to go a thing you just-_

"YES, MA'AM!" the other dog shook slightly and all chimed in unison- causing Ralph to become slack-jawed.

 _Did all of those mutts really just agree to her orders?!_ he mentally gawked. _How in the world did she get all of these dogs to obey her?!_

His curiosity beyond peeked, Ralph finally decided he had to see just what this intense female dog looked like. She had to be a saint bernard or a rottweiler- or maybe she was even bull mastiff like him. Either way, this pooch had to be a big dog to own a rough-and-tough voice like that- and to give so many bold orders as she did.

Cautiously crawling up to the back of the group, Ralph peered over the top of their heads. Somehow he went unnoticed by most the pooches in front of him; only one of them acknowledged his very presence. And that was Marco, giving Ralph a side-eyed updown...as the mastiff began to openly gawk, not fully believing just what he was seeing.

A doberman pinscher -a little on the small side, Ralph had to admit- was pacing in front of the group, a look of intense seriousness on her face. And before any doubt could swim into Ralph's mind on who exactly this pooch was, the booming, demanding voice came bursting from the doberman's small, scowling mouth.

"And we've got to be ready for action, none of this puppy play," the doberman hissed. Her voice was sharp and demanding as she continued to pace back and forth- on an indented dirt trail she had clearly created before. "We've got a big agenda to fill, mutts..."

His eyes blinking repeatedly, Ralph began to block out the grueling words that followed. All he could think about was how it didn't even seem _possible_ that such a rough, aggressive voice belonged to a such a small dog in comparison -or that all the eyes of these fierce dogs were glued attentively to her.

Slyly peering around him, it took the mastiff no time to realize that this doberman before them was indeed the one _leading_ this force, the one giving orders to the out-of-control group.

But it was quickly undeniable to Ralph as to why.

Precariously getting closer to look at the doberman pinscher's face, Ralph saw that her small, pointed ears stood straight up, showing her sharp, undivided attention towards the group. Her eyes glistened with leadership, dignity, and determination- all in the strongest degree the mastiff had ever seen.

Her light brown eyebrows were hunched down, making her appear even more fierce and daunting. On her tan mouth was a permanent grimace, made that much more intimidating with a sharp snarl that began to appear on her lips as she spoke.

Her long, slender body and strong body language were just as intimidating: her long, strong legs were intensely holding up her equally strong muscles. Her petite paws were clearly ready to power into a gallop at any second if needed- and she looked like she could easily pin down any small animal...or even _larger_ ones...with her long, sharp nails. Even her tiny stub tail -one that somewhat remember Ralph of Felix'- was somehow intimidating as well.

It was clear she was ready to fight at a moment's notice, like she could turn on a dime and attack at any second; it was just in her training...or even in her very _DNA..._

Whatever the reason, she was no doubt the toughest, most intimidating dog Ralph had ever seen- female dog or not...and for the first time in his life, he somehow felt smaller than a flea on comparison to another dog.

After taking in her rough physical appearance, Ralph began to notice her attire. He noticed that she had also had a police vest on- although hers was noticeably different from the others. Hers was a darker shade of blue, and the yellow straps on it were even more neon in color. The words _Sergeant Calhoun_ were distinctly engraved on the side- making it undeniable as to what her identity was.

Gulping, the mastiff shrunk back a bit in his place.

 _This lady as the actual sergeant of this psycho group,_ he thought in growing panic. _There is no telling how crazy she is, then...and I don't really care to find out._

Deciding it was best that he'd retreat back to his desperate digging while he still had the chance, Ralph was about ready to make a break for it...

But just then his eyes caught the glimpse of something reflecting the slowing upcoming sun, bouncing off of it like a shining mirror. Curiously, Ralph peered closer in yet again- and couldn't help but finally notice a whole different part of the sergeant's attire he had somehow missed before...

That of a very bright, shiny, flat-out gorgeous good dog collar that hung loosely around her neck.


	25. Chapter 24: Floating Collars

**Chapter 24: Floating Collars**

As Ralph stared at the amazing collar before his eyes, his mind immediately filled with fuzz. A strange fluff his thoughts had never danced in before- all swirling around in a murky, muddy... amazing mess.

That collar on the doberman's neck was great. No, _incredible!_

The words "Good Dog" were inscribed on the sides of the collar, causing Ralph to smile kookily at the thought of it being around his neck. The material it was made of was thick and strong, not easily torn- and looked like it could last forever and a day, even for a rough dog like Ralph. On top of that, the collar seemed to fit the doberman's neck _loosely_ , meaning it might fit a certain mastiff's neck perfectly.

And best of all, those shiny golden tags hung off of it- oh, how they reflecting everyone before it like a mirror. They were like a subtle reminder to all others of who was the one bearing the collar itself. Who bore it with glory. With honor. With respect.

With all the good dog in the world.

 _Yeah, sure, the collar's dark camo print -and with bit of dark greenish sparkles, it was kinda made for a girl dog_ , Ralph's murky mind somehow realized- but he quickly discovered that he could've cared less about any of that.

All that mattered was that one collar somehow had everything Ralph had ever wanted- and then some. It was the greatest collar Ralph had ever seen, even with the sparkles- and he knew he had to get it, that it had to become his.

In a moment of even more daze, the mastiff closed his eyes and pictured just what it would be like if that very thing happened. What it would be like for him to return home, back to the pet shop with _this_ collar around his neck...

And rubbing it all in Gene's face... Showing it off to him...proving to _everyone_ that he was good -especially Mr.Litwak and Felix...

He could just picture Gene's shocked, pushed-up face when he'd come in with that baby around his neck. He could envision a look of pride and even finally true _acceptance_ on Felix' small face at seeing such an amazing collar...one that was far grander than that of the corgi's, even...

Ralph could mentally feel each pat Mr.Litwak, then Stefanie, then _everyone_ else who came into the pet shop would give him...hear them repeatedly calling him 'such a good dog'...words Ralph longed to hear for so long...

This collar would be his VIP all the parties, too; his ticket of all the duck treats, all the chew toys he could ever even want as well. He could probaby get first choice of sleeping arrangements, the best place in the entire pet shop...

This collar was simple Ralph the guard dog's way to get everything he could ever want- and far more.

At picturing just how great his future could be, the mastiff undeniable knew the truth.

This was the chance he had been waiting for. He had to get this collar- and this collar only. And even though it clearly didn't belong to him...

Ralph was willing to do just about _anything_ to get it around his neck.

As he dreamily opened his eyes, the mastiff was shocked to see that his perfect collar on the doberman's neck was somehow coming closer and closer to him. It seemed to be floating to him in slow motion, getting closer and closer in all it's glory...

And raising his eyes up a little, the mastiff then regrettably saw that his future collar was _also_ connected to a face full of sharp, pointy teeth- and an incredibly steaming sergeant.


	26. Chapter 25: Attack brings Acceptance

**Chapter 25: Attack brings Acceptance**

Finding himself quickly face planting the dirt floor below him, Ralph winced as his head banged up against the ground. His neck instantly began to ache- partly from whiplash, partly from his old, raggy collar tight being in the death grip of the jaws belonging to the doberman.

Pinning Ralph face to the ground with an extremely strong force, the doberman knew she had rendered the large, strong dog practically defenseless- yet that didn't seem to be enough of a 'precaution' against this apparent intruder. Within seconds, she began growling low and terrifyingly in his ears- although this was muffled as she viciously shook his yarn collar side to side. The poor mastiff's head bounced on and off the ground and from side to side with great force of her shaking, making his vision spin in circles and his head and neck ache all the more.

Just when Ralph thought his shaking brain was going to come out spilling his ears, his knotted collar abruptly snapped loose off his neck, itself unable to take the force of the savage shaking anymore. His neck now free to fall, Ralph's head hit the ground once more, causing his headache to intensify and for moan of pain to finally escape his lips.

In disarray, the vested K-9 officer who caused the attack spat his nasty collar out beside her into the dirt, disgusted at its' filth and breakability. At seeing Ralph shakily beginning to raise his head once more, the doberman instantly jumped on him again- making Ralph wince once more. This doberman was small but surprisingly heavy- and seemed somehow _twice_ as strong as he was.

With a pair to pointed paws that were planted hard right on his large jowls once more, the sergeant began her interrogation.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" The doberman questioned loudly in his face, still pinning him down into the ground with great force.

"Raowwwf," the mastiff was able to make out, more than slightly distorted by the sergeant's feet pressed hard against one of his cheeks and the dirt ground flattening the other.

"WHAT?! I can't understand you!" The doberman hissed angrily in response, pressing even harder with her sharp claws. "How in the fire hydrant did you even get into this fenced yard?! Don't you realize that this is a POLICE STATION K-9 UNIT?! _DO YOU?!"_

Wiggling a bit underneath her squishing, Ralph finally got his mouth free enough to form a semi-understandable sentence. "Geth off my facth for pethe's sakth and I'll _thell_ you!"

To his surprise, the dog on top of him paused in her forcing squashing and eyed him intensely. Looking at her with the corner of his eye, Ralph could tell she was debating on rather she could trust him or not- and was leaning more towards the latter by each passing second.

Her small, pointed ears back in clear distrust and suspicion, the doberman hesitated but then finally complied. Lifting her paws off his face, she backed up a little so he could stand up- but as Ralph did, he could instantly tell her body was still tense, ever ready to pin him again if needed.

As he stumbled back up to his feet, the mastiff shook the attack off and breathed deeply. It felt good to have access to actual _air_ again- well, as much as he did with the tight police vest on.

Eyeing the dog who was actually strong enough to take him down, Ralph saw that the demanding doberman was actually quite pretty in the face. Semi-masked by an uneasier, irate scowl she wore, he could see her soft, delicate facial features...

Although they still failed in comparison to that lovely collar still on her neck, he realized as his eyes drifted down to her good dog collar...

"State your reason for being here! Now!" the officer suddenly barked, making Ralph's gaze jump upwards again.

"Okay, okay, let me explain," he shakily began, searching for the best lie he could muster as he shook. "So, uh...you see, I'm, um-"

"Wait!" The doberman interrupted, stalking closer to Ralph once more. Tensing up and gulping, the mastiff mentally and physically prepared himself to be to jumped on again- but to his surprise, the fellow dog just leaned over and peered at the police vest he was wearing.

Gingerly sniffing the vest Ralph was bearly fitting into, the sergeant's face instantly rippled into repulsion. She'd been so busy attacking this dog's face -and his disgustingly weak collar- that she hadn't even focused on the fact he was wearing a vest. A _police K-9_ vest.

With one of _her_ fallen men's names written on it, no less.

"Why are you wearing Markowski's vest?" She spat out, her voice not any softer. "He just got checked-out not too long ago."

Intimidated by her sharp, piercing glare, the mastiff could only stutter for a moment. "Well, uh- I'm his and, um-"

"He's Markowski's replacement, ma'am," Marco finally piped up, his golden fur shimmering as he crawled submissively over to his commander's side. "He came in early this morning."

"What?!" the doberman growled at his words, her head jerking to pierce into Marco as her ears sharply flattened again. _"No one_ gets put on my force without me meeting them first. How'd this mutt get in here without me seeing him in the first place?! I was only gone for a quarter of the hour!!"

"I - I guess you just missed him, ma'am," Marco nervously replied, shrinking a bit deeper into his place.

At her men's words, the doberman just rolled her eyes. Nothing was missed by Sergeant Calhoun...especially with a dog as large as Ralph clearly was.

Turning to eye the dog in question again, the Doberman's dark eyes pierced Ralph once more with that...that _look_.

It was like she could see straight through the mastiff, straight into who he was- and was starting to freak him out a little.

Suddenly the sergeant began to make her way slowly in a circle around Ralph, her steps firm and strong as she examined him- clearly taking his appearance in. She narrowed her eyes as was she walked, deeply unsure about this mutt now elected onto _her_ force. Especially without her knowledge.

"So...you're Kohut and Markowski's replacement, eh?" she mused as she walked, her eyes cutting into him from different angles. "We'll see about that...State your name. Clearer, this time, mutt," she hissed.

As she stalked around him, Ralph turned his head as he tried to keep up with the light-on-her-feet doberman- and her/hopefully-soon-to-be his collar. "It's, uh, Ralph," he finally muttered.

"Your rank?" She asked next, one eyebrow raised in ready response.

"Uh..." the mastiff responded dumbly before quickly blurting out one of the only police terms he was somewhat familiar with. "I'm a...captain?"

At his words, everyone in the dirt area gasped. Marco's golden jaw hit the ground in awe. Madge nearly face-planted the ground herself in shock. Even Mac couldn't believe had he had just heard.

Somehow Calhoun paused in midstep right before Ralph after his words, her face actually relaxed into an appealing look of amazment...and a look that almost seemed like a strange sadness.

 _Oh, no,_ Ralph thought in horror, his ears flattening in fear. _What did I just unknowingly say?! Captain's probably one of -_

"...The **highest** rank on a police force?!" Mac breathed, sounding beyond shocked. "For real?!"

"Wait!" The sergeant of the force abruptly commanded as she came and stood in front of Ralph- her eyes piercing him with the look. "You're...a _Captain_ _?"_ she inquired, suddenly not a hundred percent believing it- let alone accepting it. "On what force and of what town?"

"It would have to be _Sugar Russia,_ Sarge!" Maddox gasped out, looking at the other dogs around as she wagged her tail. "Our fill-in was coming from there, remember?"

 _In the town of what?_ Ralph thought blankly. He didn't think he had never even _heard_ of that town before- except for when cops inside... said he was supposedly from there...

"Oh yeah," he connected before blushing. Deciding he'd pushed his luck this far, he continued in his lie. "Yup, that's my town, heh."

"Wow..." Madge looked around at her colleagues, all eyeing the mastiff with large, impressed eyes. "That's easily the toughest K-9 force in _the whole state-_ especially with the mutated scorpion rate there!"

Gulping, Ralph forced himself to nod in agreement, deciding he could go with that... He just hoped that they believed it more than he did.

The sergeant before him continued in her looking into his eyes- that strange look of pain somehow visible in her eyes again.

 _"You're_ the Sugar Russia K-9 unit Captain?" she asked suspiciously. "I've never heard of a bull mastiff being of _that_ rank before...and no offense, but I can see as to why." She paused to give him an up-down. "Especially not for a force as tough -and strict- as Sugar Russia's."

"Well, I am," Ralph answered as bluntly and non-suspiciously as he could, puffing out his chest in false pride. He silently prayed that his words would settle the question of his 'title'.

"But why would they send _you_ here, as a fill-in for mutts who don't have any ranks yet, no less?" The level-headed sergeant asked, her voice clear she wasn't so quick to buy the act. "Aren't you greatly needed over in Sugar Russia right now?"

"Well... my team heard you guys needed help over here and so we sent, uh, the best of the best over to help, you know, with the... er, scorpion problem," Ralph answered- beyond shocked at the ease of the lies rolling off his lips. "My, uh, sergeant has got the team covered back home while I'm gone."

 _Boy, I'm getting pretty good at this lying stuff,_ he thought silently, forcing his tail not to go into a happy wiggle. _I eve_ _n semi-believed myself there..._

At his words, the doberman slowly nodded, seeming to be thinking over his words. Something still seemed off about this whole thing...but who was she to question a superior like that?

Her harsh eyes losing their intensity, her soft face suddenly began more somber in appearance than before- and it was clear to Ralph that, although she was still a little hesitant about him, his lying was starting to be believed... and better yet, accept as truth.

"Well then," the sergeant began, her tone softer and more professional than before- and even apologetic. "I genuinely ask pardon for my uncivil assault on you earlier, solider. I was merely protecting my troops and myself from a deemed intruder, as I am sure you understand."

"Uh, yes. Of course..." the mastiff answered her in a like professional way- although he was inwardly trying to sort through what half of her words meant.

With their strong leader now being accepting of this newcomer, Marco, Madge and Mac came crawling over to where Ralph stood- the only ones able to recover from their shock and now beyond embarrassed for their attack on their unknown 'captain'.

"We are _soooo_ sorry about everything, buddy," the golden wagged his tail slightly in intimidation, looking ashamed as he tried to apologize for their earlier behavior. "Had we known you had such a high rank, we would've never, well...you know-"

"Never _what?"_ his sergeant interrupted, turning her attention towards her subordinates with an almost mock paternal look.

The others failed to answer her -although their shrinking back and muted whimpering was more than she needed to know. Shaking her head silently, the doberman instantly was annoyed- and even a little ashamed her troops.

"I don't care _what_ rank a dog may have on this or another force, soldiers," she reminded with a growl. "You always treat a fellow officer with the utmost of respect- which I'm assured you all _did_ while I was not out here..." she hissed pointedly at her further shrinking unit as they cowered back.

Ignoring their whimpering, Calhoun then turned her attention back to the make-believe captain.

"I sincerely apologize for my troops' actions and any possible indignities you received from them," she rolled her eyes in an attempt to be good-naturedly. "I'm sure they were merely acting out of ignorance...as I'm sure you at times had to deal with on your force as well," she mentioned- and for the first time since they 'met', the doberman actually let loose a small, gentle...even _accepting_ smirk.

In return, Ralph could only shrug mutely- not knowing how to handle having had 3 sincere apologies directed to him in one day. That was more than he had received all year.

"Name's Sergeant Calhoun," the doberman then formally introduced herself to the mastiff- her body language completely calm and relaxed, yet still strong and poised for action. "I'm the leader of this force, although I'm positive you already knew and/or figured that out..."

And although she tried to hide it, a look of clear, somehow unselfish pride surfaced on her usual hard face. "And I must admit- I am honored to be in your presence, sir."

Her demeanor changing abruptly as she pointedly eyed the rest of the dogs around her, Calhoun jerked her head forward- indicating her troops approach. "TEN-HUT!"

As they scrambled forward in reply to her order, the group quickly formed a clean, sleek line before Ralph. And before he could say another word, the fellow dogs sat up tall and dignified- all were facing Ralph this time. Instead of fear or anger, a look of seriousness filled all their faces

All nodded pointedly and in unison at Ralph, all traces of earlier anger replaced by reverence for their new leader... and by a look Ralph thought he'd never see directed towards him: pure acceptance.

"We're all honored to have you here aiding us, Captain Ralph," Sergeant Calhoun said as she took her place before her troops, nodded in agreement as well. "And it's my absolute privilege to welcome you to temporarily serve here on the fine unit of Hero's Duty."


	27. Chapter 26: Hero's Duty

**Chapter 26: Hero's Duty**

At their approving salute, Ralph felt himself smile. A _real_ smile for the first time in a long, long time. And that thing on the end of his body could no longer be control anymore as it nearly whipped him it wagged so fast.

He'd _never_ felt so good before. This was better than having a brand-new squeak toy or the freshest treats, even better than pats from the human cops. It was greater than anything Ralph had ever received in his life.

 _This must be what it meant to be a real good dog,_ he thought in bliss- and decided that would work just fine.

The mastiff basked in all the glory of being a real (well, not _real)_ captain- and had no idea all the love and attention he'd get from it. Good dog collar or not, it was absolutely great as the others stood straight to actually honor him; Ralph just soaked in it all with great ease.

He felt cocky, happy- and more of anything else, completely invincible...

Which is why he might've blurred out without thinking: "Uh...Hero's Duty? What's that?"

Her easy smile falling immediately, Calhoun eyed him- her eyes narrowing and giving him the look _just_ a little bit.

"That's the name of this particular K-9 unit here in Arcadia...," she answered slowly, suspicion and doubt starting to fill her face again. "You didn't know that?"

"Oh, right," the mastiff blurred out quickly as he gulped- his mind frantic for a suitable answer. "I knew that; I was just, ah... testing you. Yes, you know, as captains do."

 _Don't be so stupid, Ralph,_ he quickly reprimanded himself. _And don't ask such captain "obvious" questions, even if they aren't so obvious to you. Just go with it!_

But in response, Calhoun just smirked good naturally- her doubt easing a bit like a look of pride cane upon her face. "No need for ' _testing_ ' here, sir. I've been on this force for years now, and I'm slowing earning my way to the top. I aspire to be captain of my troops one day as well..."

At her last words came from her mouth, Ralph couldn't help but notice her eyes had darkened and even saddened again. Her look of pride slipped from her face as well- replaced by a faraway look of slight remorse and, once again, pain.

 _What is it with her and the word 'captain'?_ the mastiff wondered curiously. _Why does she respond to it the way she does? You'd think she'd be happier about it..._

Physically shaking off her brief look of gloom, Calhoun made her collar dance around a bit on her neck- catching Ralph's eyes once more.

"Right, that's great," he rushed out. "They told me that you're head honcho on this force in Sugar- uh, my town... Hence, why you have a good dog collar?" he asked eagerly- shocked at how clever he had weaved her collar into the conversation.

A smile once again pulled at the corner of the doberman's lips as she eyed down at her beautiful, well-earned collar.

"Precisely, sir. I earned it just a month back. And it's my pride and joy- as all well-earned collars are..." she trailed off suddenly when she eyed his neck, surprise and perplexity surfacing on her face. "Where's your collar, sir? You have to have one being captain of Sugar Russia... right?"

Before he could stumble out some sort of an answer, a loud, harsh ringing noise suddenly started blaring, stringing Ralph's ears painfully. Bright, red floodlights began to flash on and off repeatedly at the station's back door- and a loud, booming voice came screeching over an old intercom.

"CODE RED! CODE RED! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!" a human's voice blared loudly on the speakers. "THE MUTATED SCORPIONS ARE INVADING THE HOSPITAL ON PAC-MAN LN! ALL REPORT FOR DUTY! ALL K-9'S WILL BE NEEDED! I REPEAT- THIS IN NOT A DRILL!"

Every dog that was frozen still in their respect for their new captain all suddenly abandoned their post. Each one broke out into a wild frenzy, running every which way and yelping as they did- making Ralph even more tense.

"Alright, mutts!" Calhoun called out to them all over the red flashing lights, loud automatic beeping and complete chaos. She immediately kicked into sergeant mode and began giving out commands, running every which way to every which dog.

"IT'S GO TIME! Macro, go grab some extra leashes in one of the kennels and bring them up front! Maddox, get your tail-hide back over here- and get ready in your positions already, Madge! You heard the intercom, folks- this is not a drill! So stop the whimpering like it is one and get yourselves ready!..."

As the sirens continued to blare and the hysteria before him slowly became more organized thanks to Calhoun, Ralph just blinked and shook- having absolutely no idea as to what was happening... but none of it could be good.

During it all, though, he couldn't help but pause to be amazed at how a doberman more than half his size could take such charge of this chaos- and be so calm about. It was clear Calhoun was a natural born leader and an excellent commander, impressing Ralph greatly as the other animals sought to fulfilled her direct orders.

"Mac, go stand ready by the east gate- that'll mostly likely be where we head out from. Everyone else," her voice continued to boom loudly and demanding, "man your stations at the kennels! We must ready when our human officers come and load-"

To the shock of all those around her, Calhoun stopped suddenly- stopped yelling, stopped running, stopped everything. She just froze in her place- something her troops had never seen her do before, especially in not such a stressful, demanding situation.

Turing to bashfully eye Ralph, the doberman humbly nodded his way.

"I'm deepest apologies, Captain. I'm used to taking the lead and giving the orders around here," she said lowered her head, rushing over to stand by his side under the blazing siren lights. "You are allowed to lead these troops into action," she nodded again. "I'll watch and assist."

At her words of direction, Ralph couldn't hold back a large, horrified gawk.

 _WHAT?!_ he thought, mortified as he subconsciously backed up. _I actually have to take charge of all this? I can't do that! I'm not trained for that! _

"Uh, well- um, that's okay," he stumbled out, desperately trying to find a way out of having to go against his nature and actually bossing this other dogs around "I've been, you know, _leading_ all week, so, ah - oh! And these are your troops, after all. So, you can lead them this time. I'll, uh, allow it," he gulped weakly, silently pleading with her not to make him lead these crazy mutts in such a serious situation. "I'll watch and assist _you_."

Clearly shocked, Calhoun eyed him curiously- and wasn't about to take no for an answer.

"But you have more experience with the mutated scorpions, sir," she told him- more like stating a fact that a reminder. "You've had to tango with them far more than we have here in Arcadia."

Gulping, the mastiff's shaking just increased.

 _I'm not 'tango-ing' with anything that starts with 'mutated' and ends with 'scorpions',_ he rejected quickly.

"That's, uh, correct...BUT you know this area better than I do...so it makes more sense for you to lead us here," Ralph slowly pieced to together a better excuse- painfully trying not to sound desperate.

Raising an skeptical eyebrow in his direction, the doberman started to peer deeper into the grimacing mastiff- unsure of what to think of his supposed logic.

"...Alright then," Calhoun finally answered, surprise in her voice- and a look of growing distrustfulness surfacing on her face. "I'll command them to victory, then..."

Wasting no time, however, she ignored her doubts and ran into the middle of the group of dogs, her presence strong and demanding. "OKAY, PUSSYCATS! LISTEN UP!"

When everyone turned to glue their eyes to her, the sergeant continued as Ralph wearily watched on and listened.

"We _all_ know what happened, folks," she said monotonously. "A top-secret experiment, lead by some wacko scientist, has gone horribly wrong- leading to a mass spread of mutated scorpions."

Pausing dramatically for effect, the strong doberman eyed her troops with valor- no hint of fear on her face.

"But remember: because of that experiment, we are humanity's last hope in the town of Arcadia. Our mission? _Destroy_ or _capture_ all mutant scorpions before they destroy the whole city. There's no in between, no backing out, not giving in and running away; we must stand and _fight!"_

"YES, MA'AM!" The troop of pooches before her called out determinedly.

"We must be ready at all time, and ready for anything that may come, even DEATH!" She paced back and forth of her subordinates yet, eyeing them courageously as they sat obediently before her.

"YES, MA'AM!"

"And if we _do_ perish, we will die honorably for our town. Because WHO ARE WE?!"

"HERO'S DUTY K-9 UNIT, MA'AM!"

"I must have some kitty fuzz in my ears, 'cause I can't hear ya! LOUDER, MEN!"

"HERO'S DUTY K-9 UNIT, MA'AM!"

His eyes wide, Ralph cringed as the greatest -and most terrifying- pep talk he had ever heard drew to a dramatic end.

 _Wait- who said anything about... death?!_ his mind panicked.

Suddenly the station door leading to the yard opened up again, exposing many of the armed human officers Ralph had seen earlier- only this time with their full uniforms on and weapons in tow.

In front wearing a strong, heavy helmet was Officer Croft, leading the pack of K-9 humans officers as they rushed over to get the canines and hurry off.

As Officer Croft approached her, Sergeant Calhoun sported her trademark smirk, her body tense and ready for action as her leash got clipped on the back of her vest. Poised, the doberman's eyes danced off a cowarding Ralph, who was also getting his leash on- although he seemed less than enthused by it.

As the mastiff looked desperately over to her for help, their eyes met- and that's when Ralph regrettable saw the look of excitement -and murder- clear in Calhoun's dark, piercing eyes.

"Let's go get our kill on, captain."


	28. Chapter 27: In the Cruiser

**C** **hapter 2** **7:** **In The Cruiser**

The entire group of police dogs was quickly leashed up and lead through the back gate of the dirt yard. Lead around the front in an organized frenzy, they were herded into the back of a large K-9 van. _'Hero's Duty: K-9 Unit'_ was written proudly on the side of the vehicle, making Ralph's eyes wide- and start to panic even more.

 _This is really happening_ , he had told himself, despite not fully comprehending it all. _I can't do this..._

After he hesitantly hoped in the van with the other dogs and found a spot big enough for him, Ralph slowly sat down and slyly eyed his surrounding. The back of the van they were all in was huge, for one thing - so big that every police animal and their handlers could fit snuggly inside it. Off to one side, Ralph noticed as well, were a little set of cubbies, each containing large jars with airtight lids.

"I wonder what those are for," he mindlessly wondered out loud as he peered closer at the jars.

At his obvious question, Calhoun eyed him in disbelief as she flopped down in her place before him. What kind of question was _that?_

"Um, for the mutated scorpions, obliviously," she hissed, a disgraceful tone in her voice. "Since we must capture a few of them so that our station can dissect and test them...Your station must do that as well, correct?"

Ralph gulped and eyed her...and her look of growing suspicion on her face. "Right, right," he quickly told her, trying not to allow his face to turn green. "These containers just look different from the ones in, uh, my unit's van."

In response, Calhoun just slightly narrowed her eyes back at him. Something was a little off with this captain... and it was starting to really annoy her.

Once every pooch and human officer was loaded safely in the back of the van, the driver -the muscley guy Ralph had seen earlier- was rushed into the driver seat...and within seconds, the group was off and running. Swaying slightly as the vehicle turned out of the station's parking lot, the group of animals silently and mentally preparing for action at the hospital- or was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, as a certain bull mastiff was doing.

 _Okay, Ralph: focus,_ the nervous pooch told himself. Remember why you're doing this. _It's not to "capture" any scorpions, let alone kill any of them. It's just to get that collar. Calhoun's collar. Just figure how to get her out of it, hand it over, and then you can high tail it out of here._

"So, uh, Sergeant Calhoun...," Ralph began as casually as he could, breaking up the silence echoing around the van. "How long have you had that collar for, did you say?"

"A month," she responded dully, her face the more serious Ralph had seen it as she peered straight ahead. She was focused on the mission that laid before her, alright -and was getting more and more unsure about the dog in front of her.

"Uh...cool," he mumbled dryly, trying to figure out how to get that collar around _his_ neck- but how he could not come off too eager, or else he'd blow his cover for sure.

The police van was silent for the next few minutes, the still quiet starting to drive Ralph crazy. It didn't help that the van bounced a bit with each sharp bump in the roadway, causing the mastiff to dig his front paws into the van's floor a little deeper- his large, thick claws scratching the metal floor the only sound being heard.

Resorting to peering out the window for some inspiration, Ralph saw just how fast the van was actually going; it zoomed by all the other vehicles on the road, which were pulled over in order for the police van to speed by. It only then did the mastiff notice the blaring sirens and the flashing lights the van he was in bore, warning other drivers to get out of the way.

As the K-9 van steadily turned right at a stop sign, a new ingenious lie hit Ralph, one he knew was a little far fetched- but decided to it test out anyway.

"I have one, too. A good dog collar, I mean," he fibbed out sudeenly, looking slyly back over at the animal sergeant who peered back at him. "But it, uh...got _chewed off_ by one of the mutant scorpions. Back in my town, I mean."

At his shocking words, every dog in the van snapped out of their serious gaze and turned to look at him. Amazed oohs and awes quickly filled the vehicle- except the mouth of Calhoun.

"What?! Wow, that's _crazy!"_ a small rottweiler exclaimed excitedly. "How did it not kill you?!"

"Well, he's _trained_ to handle situations like that," Calhoun answered for Ralph- that look strong accusing in her eyes as she eyed him yet again. "Right? _Captain?"_

"Yup, totally trained," the mastiff lied once more, trying to avoid Calhoun's growing glare. He didn't like the way she said that last word; it once made her eyes filled with melancholy...but now her eyes just seeped with anger and judgment. Directed solely at _him_.

Not too far from where Ralph's feet and large behind was squished, Maddox wagged her tail in amazement. "That's _awesome_ , Captain Ralph," she breathed dreamfully, looking up at him with wide, admiring eyes.

At her approval -and obvious slight puppy crush- Ralph couldn't help but melt into a cocky smile. No one had never had anyone look up to him (or _at_ him) like that before- and he decided it was pretty cool... despite it all being streamed from a debased lie, of course.

Ignore that sad fact, the mastiff pridefully forced himself to hold his head up higher and shuffled his large front paws around a bit.

"Why thank you," he quickly answered Maddox, then turned back to Calhoun- and, more importantly, that collar. "Now, uh- about your collar, Calhoun..."

"Woah! Look at how big Captain Ralph's paws are, guys!" Maddox called out suddenly, only more in shock this time as she gawked over the massiveness of the paws. "They are the biggest paws I've ever seen!"

In turn, every dog quickly looked down at the mastiff's paws, seemly to have never noticed their size before- and they all quickly became slack-jawed as well. Most them shook their head in shock over paws' size as Ralph sheepishly blushed -and got slightly annoyed with being interrupted yet again.

"I bet he has killed many a scorpion with those things!" Marco overdramatically blurred out, earning a few mystified nods of agreement. "Each paw probably weighs about _fifty pounds!"_

"Those _are_ some paws you got there, soldier," Calhoun finally commented softly, sounding somewhat impressed again. "You bred that way?"

"Uh, thanks. No, it was just the way I was born," Ralph acknowledged softly, growing more and more irritated. He really hated others noticing and then making a big deal about his giant paws- but this time it was even worse for some reason.

Ignoring the stares he was still getting, he peered closer at the precious collar, still hanging safely around Calhoun's neck. "Now, about that collar- is it have a buckle or is it snap-on, or-"

"Why are you so curious about it?" Calhoun hissed defensively, her voice filled with annoyance as she snapped at him. "It's not my fault you displaced your own collar when you lost a dance battle with a scorpion."

At her rebuke, the mastiff quickly sat up straight again. "Uh, n-no reason! Just curious, and m-making conversation," he quickly stumbled out. "Um...my collar was a, uh, snap-on, so I wasn't sure if-"

 _"Mine_ is, too," she interrupted yet again with a biting hiss. _"All_ of the good dog collars used on the K-9 units must be snap-ons, so we can break out easily if we get tangled in something. Of course," the doberman exasperatedly huffed as she rolled her eyes.

That was very basic knowledge to any police dog- any _real_ police dog. How did this captain really not know that?

Her dark eyes landing on the mastiff once more, she saw that Ralph was smiling happily for some odd reason despite her harsh answer... seeming to be relieved at her answer or something.

As he turned to stare contently out the window in silence -but every once in a while turn to slyly look at her neck- Calhoun couldn't help but allow that strangle feeling in her stomach start to grow. That feeling of distrust and suspicion.

 _There is something so... unprofessional and dense about this pooch, _the doberman sergeant thought as she narrowed her eyes. _This Ralph mutt is definitely not as intelligent or qualified or even **amazing** as-_

Her eyes widening, Calhoun immediately bit back a small gasp about to escape her lips. She couldn't believe she could even allow her mind to dread back in that direction. Back to that earlier time...that _beautiful_ time in her life...

Back to that one familiar face about to go swimming back into the forefront of her mind...

Shaking her head roughly, the tough doberman forcefully stopped in her thinking. Banished and refused all feelings and memories and sweet, sweet faces- partly ashamed that she even allows them to resurface in her mind and heart.

Irately angry at herself and the massive bull mastiff in front of her, Calhoun narrowed her eyes harshly. She focused on how she felt more than distrustful about Ralph now. More than unconvinced of his title.

There was something about this mastiff that she couldn't quite figure out. He seemed more than out of place, more than obsessive about her collar...

Maybe even... more than sneaky and conniving and _untruthful_ about who he really was.

Frustrating she couldn't successfully put a paw on what it was bothering her about this pooch, Calhoun snarled slightly and sat up straighter as the van pulled into the hospital grounds- at least one thought now confirmed in her mind.

It was sure getting harder and harder by the second for her to respect -or accept- Ralph as her "Captain".


	29. Chapter 28: Untrained Heart

**Chapter 28: Untrained Heart**

Suddenly, the police van jerked to a complete stop, causing Ralph to grip his nails into the floor of the van to keep from being jostled around too much. The driver and passenger up front hopped out immediately, and the others watched through the windows as they walked around to the back side of the van.

As the back doors of the vehicle were opened, the human officers sitting with the dogs hoped out first, followed in suit by each of the police animals.

As he too clumsily climbed out, Ralph apprehensively looked towards the building that was called in as desperately needing help, fully excepting it to be engulfed with flames or something dramatic. Instead, the large hospital was still peacefully and quietly in one whole piece, he was surprised to see; it honestly appeared that nothing was wrong with it at first glance. In fact, as the other animals around peered at the building as well, the mastiff was starting to wonder if this all was just caused by a prank, fake phone call to the station, some random, bored kid wanting to get a rise by faking an emergency.

But then Ralph saw a growing group of people standing just outside the hospital doors. Tons of humans, old and young, were just standing around- and then it took the mastiff a moment to fully take in the chaotic scene before him.

Most of the people in the cluster before the building were crying or sobbing in pain; others were angry and frustrated, yelling at the nurses standing around outside as they too appear to share the same anxious emotions. But Ralph could smell and sense that they _all_ were scared and were fearful by something.

Which caused fearful anticipation to start growing even more in _him_.

After each dogs' leash was clipped on, Officer Croft and Calhoun lead the way towards the building, walking so brisk that it was hard for Ralph to keep up. As they got closer and closer to the building, the yelling and the crying of the people got louder and louder- but suddenly it tapered off for a moment as the troops approached the group.

A half a second later, the people before the hospital started taking out their anger and fear on the cops, fiercely yelling at them and questioning them for answers. Some demanded as to why some of their loved ones had to remain stuck inside the hospital as it was under lockdown, why they couldn't escape now that the police had come. But most were just crying and begging the policemen to save their loved ones trapped inside, beseeching that they somehow rescue them.

At all the different tones and levels of volume of the various voices blending together, Ralph couldn't help but shrink back behind the handler he was with. It was only a minute since the K-9 unit had gotten to the hospital- and all the screaming was already starting to hurt the mastiff's ears.

"Everyone, _please!_ Calm down!" Officer Croft interrupted loudly, her voice as strong and commanding as Calhoun's. "We can assure you that your loved ones will safe and sound momentarily as soon as we-"

 _"Momentarily?!_ What about our family and friends stuck in there _now?!"_ An elderly man hissed. "Anything can happen "momentarily"! Those mutated scorpions could kill everyone inside "momentarily"! And you guys can't even get everyone out at the same time!" His voice broke suddenly in pain. "What about my dear wife trapped inside? She can't-"

"My son is in there! _My_ son!" A young woman interrupted from the crowd as tears seeped from her eyes. "If anything happens to him, I- I don't-" she broke down, unable to keep the tears in as she pleaded with the officers.

"My whole _family_ is in there!" A middle-aged man shrieked, pushing through the people around him. "My ill wife and our two little daughters, only a few days old! They can't survive any attacks-"

"The creature inside will kill my brother!" A teenager wept out, her appearance regrettably reminding Ralph briefly of Mr.Litwak's niece, Stefaine. Wiping her eyes, the girl came from the crowd to cling onto Officer Croft's pant leg, continuing to weep as she did so. "I already lost my mother to one of the scorpions! Please, I don't want to lose someone else I love!"

At her heartbreaking words, Ralph felt his heart plummet to the ground below him. Even though he had yet to even see what a mutated scorpion looked like, the mastiff still felt his tender heart break for every single one of these poor, innocent people and their loved ones. He'd never heard something this horrible before.

But the hole forming in his chest only got worse as many others spoke up, each one interrupting the next as they all spilled out that their loved ones were trapped inside the building as well. And each beloved child, wife, husband, friend- _each human_ inside needed to be rescued before they became victims of the apparently vicious and deadly creatures roaming around the hospital.

With each cry for help, Ralph began to realize that the ones trapped inside were practically helpless- and that their loved one outside was practically useless in aiding them...

And that all of them were placed entirely in the hands (and paws) of someone else.

The weight of it all -the seriousness, the danger, the life-threatening situation at hand- hit the mastiff all at once, making Ralph even forget the good dog collar he was seeking for a moment in time.

As the people continued to cry out, the sensitive pooch tried his best to keep up and to mental notes of who's family member needed saving - but there was no point. He couldn't save them all; in fact, he doubted all of the dogs and policemen on the force could save that many people. There were far too many of them inside needing help.

But _everyone_ in that building deserved to get out alive, Ralph also knew; he couldn't say who warranted life more than the next. The sad fact was that they all were endangered _equally_ \- and there was seeming almost nothing anyone could do to save them.

A feeling of complete helplessness sent a chill up the mastiff's spine, making him physically shake...

Which only got worse when he realized these lives were placed partly in _his_ paws.

His _untrained_ paws, no less.

In growing frustration, panic, and fear, Ralph frantically turned to Calhoun to see how she was handling it all- the pressure, the pain, the worry. But he saw that she was merely was sitting at the heels of Officer Croft, with a surprising look of seriously yet calmness in her eyes. Her face was stoic- and almost appeared impassive to the people's cries.

At first, her lack of physical sympathy disgusted Ralph, making him want to snarl at her or growl some sense into her...

But as he peered closer at her, and as the cries of the people intensified, however, Ralph _did_ begin to decipher slight empathy and pain written on the doberman's face. Her face would slightly melt in intensity at the time, especially with a child or mother...or _wife_ would plead for help over their parents', their children...their _husbands_ ' safety...

And the mastiff was more than shocked to see maybe even little hints of... personal pain and misery on Calhoun's face, as if something in her _past_ seemed to haunt her. Her eyes would cloud over for a split second in frozen time; her ears would flatten against her head as if blocking out the cries, unable to hear them anymore...

But that second would quickly be over as soon as it would start. The cloudiness in her eyes would suddenly be gone, and it quickly would become clear that the fierce doberman was just trying to tune it all the pain out. Ignore it all, even- not only the pain of the humans before her, but her pain as well.

At her commanders' feet, Calhoun sat still and obedient, appearing to be simply waiting. Waiting for assigned duty of her job. Waiting for a command. Waiting to save the day- and to do what was in her DNA.

His face falling a bit, Ralph looked around at the other police dogs on the unit of Hero's Duty... and saw that they were all doing the same. Insensitivity was sharper in their eyes, however- but nonetheless were obediently heeling at their master's sides despite all the crying, the screaming, the pain still surrounding them.

And that's when it occurred to Ralph that why Calhoun -and the others- were _perfect_ for this job...and why he just wasn't.

Sure, these pooches were breeds that are easily trained- especially on training how to physically fight and deal with the plows...But so much more than just the DNA of a breed needed to be involved in the police force.

These dogs also needed to be trained in the _heart_ how to deal with everything, to be trained to be unemotionally involved with the people, the victims they are trained to help and defend.

And they were; each one of the K-9's was trained to just ignore these people's desperate screams for help. They were trained to push it beside them and focus on one simple fact: that this was a _job_. And that meant not allowing themselves too upset, too emotional, or too involved to what was going on around them. Simply do your job and whatever happens, happens; realized that if the worse of the worse happened, you can have peace of mind knowing you've done your best and that it would've happened regardless.

They were all trained, in effect, to be... completely and utterly heartless in their work.

But deep inside, Ralph wasn't. He was completely untrained to know how to handle all this, physically and emotionally.

And he quickly realized that, even if he _was_ trained, he would still had way too much heart to allow himself to just ignore the people's continued pleas for help.


	30. Chapter 29: Power House

**Chapter 29:** **Power House**

Ripped from giving his attention to the people's cries, Ralph jumped as fire trucks appeared on the scene, the men riding on the side all ready to hop off. Seconds later, multiple water trucks and tankers pulled into the parking lot as well, hoses poised to blast out water at a moment's notice.

Curiously eyeing the water vehicles, the mastiff became puzzled as to the men driving them quickly climbed out to communicate with the firemen. Why on earth would _water trucks_ need to be on the scene?

But before Ralph could even begin to inquire Calhoun about the purpose of the water tankers being present, a large media crew pulled up in the hospital's parking lot.

Hopping out of the news channel van, a tall, lanky man with a handheld microphone appeared- a serious yet energetic demeanor on his face. A small crew of multiple cameramen, accompanied by the needed recording devices, followed the excited newscaster as he made his way over to the chaos around Ralph.

With microphone still in hand, the crew made their way cautiously through the screaming crowd, doing their best not to bump into anyone with their heavy equipment. When they finally reached the front to the group before the police force, the newscaster began called out loudly over the people's pleas to Office Croft.

"Officer Croft! It is our understanding that multiple groups of people are stuck inside the hospital with a large group of mutated scorpions. Is that correct, ma'am?" the man asked loudly, his peppy mein and the question itself very irritating to the mastiff.

 _No, people often stand outside this hospital, screaming that their family members are stuck inside with mutated scorpions,_ Ralph rolled his eyes silently.

"Yes, yes. That is correct," Office Croft quickly and authoritatively confirmed into the microphone extended towards her. "But we have a plan in order to get _all_ the people stuck inside out," she continued, her voice somehow stronger and more forceful than before- her words bringing semi-relief to those gathered around.

In response, the lively newscaster stuck his microphone closer to Officer Croft's mouth, eager to hear her impending plan. The camera crew quickly followed in suit, pushing in closer and began filming the lead officer, along with her fellow workmates and the accompanying police dogs with them.

"I promise," the female officer vowed, loud and clear, "that we, along with the fire department and the water tankers, will all try to work as hard as we can to get every single person in that building out safe and sound."

Hope starting to grow on their faces, everyone peered closer at the officer- but she just motioned towards the police dogs sitting around her.

"And these trained K-9 animals are going to help us do just that."

His brown eyes doubling in size, Ralph gulped as his heart plummeted towards the ground beneath him. _Wait...what?!_

"And how exactly will that plan be executed?" The newscaster asked briefly, pointing the mic back towards Officer Croft.

Reaching down, the policewoman began to gently stroke Calhoun's head as she continued her reassuring plan into the microphone.

"We're going to send these animals ahead of us into the building to find the greatest cluster of the mutated scorpions," she explained. "Then, once found, the canines will return to us and lead us to the scorpions so that we and the fire department can infiltrate the hospital- exactly where the scorpions are and eliminate them as soon as possible. Only then will it be safe enough to try to allow the captives inside to come out."

When the worried people -and the newscaster himself- before them nodded eagerly in approval of the plan, Officer Croft knelt down and unclipped Calhoun's leash from her collar. Following in suit, the other officers leaned down and unclipped the leashes on the other animals as well, every officer -human and canine- wearing the same stoic look their leaders bore.

When an officer knelt down and removed the leash from Markowski's vest, Ralph couldn't help but begin to tremble and coward in his place.

 _This is really happening!_ he thought as the policeman patted the mastiff's head gently and empathically, only this time Ralph paid no attention it. He couldn't even feel the human's touch he was so nervous. _I'm...I'm not prepared for this!!_

He couldn't save these people's family members! He didn't even know what these mutated scorpions _looked like_ , let alone how to fight them off if needed!

But there was barely any time for the nervous dog to doubt or fear after that. After a blink of an eye and a quick signal of command from Officer Croft, the pack of canines began trudging their way up to the hospital's main doors, lead fearlessly by Calhoun as the camera crew recording every movement of the dogs.

Being pushed along behind, Ralph jogged slowly, trying to not have a meltdown.

 _Ok, it doesn't matter if you're unprepared for all this, Ralph,_ the anxious mastiff told himself as he forced his paws forward. _Just follow Calhoun's lead, help these people out a little, and GET YOUR COLLAR! And, most importantly, DON'T DIE!!_

Quickly decided if he was to ensure of all that, Ralph needed to be right at Calhoun's side at all times during this rescue. Quickening his pace, he ambled up to be by her side, already feeling a bit calmer.

He slyly side-eyed the doberman, only to see that determination and valor was clear in her eyes- no sense of fear whatsoever. In fact, it was clear that Calhoun was completely in her element at that moment: her head low, her mouth formed into a signature, determined snarl, ears flat against her head as she marched along.

Yes, Calhoun was a professional police dog, trained to except anything and everything. She was a complete powerhouse...

A powerhouse in whom Ralph's very _survival_ depended on now.

The group of dogs continued to march on across the parking lot until they approached a set of steps, leading up to the slightly askew front doors to the hospital. Cautiously tip-toeing up the stairs and precautiously poking his inside, Ralph was shocked as to what he saw and heard- and smelled.

Although it was now starting to get bright and sunny outside where he was at, inside the building was contrastingly pitch dark. Squinting the best he could, the mastiff could see the faint outline of a front desk and a few entryways to hallway tunnels- all eerie and bare of any life.

Random, muffled noises could be occasionally heard deep inside the hospital as well: some of what sounded like medical instruments being suddenly dropped, others sounded like strange, far away hissing noises. A faint cry -unknown if it was from a human or animal- suddenly was heard, sending a chill up Ralph's spine.

But the worse was the various smells that drifted from the hospital- although they were not the normal smells that came from the average hospital. These odors were stronger- and immediately assaulted the mastiff's sensitive nose, some making him want to gag. Some were extremely sour as if many liquid medicine bottles had been broken and had leaked out. Other odors were way more rancid and putrid to the dog's nose- like that of human fear and anxiety elevated beyond comprehension.

The strong mixture of eerie outlines, terrifying muffled sounds, and sickening, strong smells were enough for Ralph coward back slightly. There was no way that he was going in into that hospital.

"Alright, Captain," Calhoun suddenly voiced, breaking the mastiff's shutter. "Lead us to victory."

Abandoning peering into the spooky hospital, Ralph wiped his head around to stare at the doberman wide-eyed. _"What?!"_

Calhoun huffed in response, unemphatic to his clear shock. She could see the fear growing even stronger in his dark brown eyes- and it was getting to be more and more unsettling to her.

"You're the captain," she still hissed at him, eyeing him expectedly. "Take the lead on this one."

"W-well, I, uh- I don't know this hospital as well as you do, sergeant. We need to get to the scorpions fast- and, uh, you- you're familiar with this hospital," Ralph stumbled over his words, trying to rephrase his earlier excuse to get it to pass by the glowering doberman. "I mean, _lives_ are a state here and -"

"Exactly," she surprised him by responding, her usual bite as strong as ever. "Which is why these troops need a real leader with a backbone."

Then shooting him the look, Calhoun narrowed her eyes so much that instantly a feeling so raw and unfriendly raced up Ralph's spine and rippled across his body. The mastiff could literally see the doberman debating on whether or not to outright attack him or not.

Thankfully deciding to ignore him instead, the sergeant turned her attention to face the troops, her back to the doors.

"Listen up, I'm only going to say this once," she screeched with a stomp of her foot, causing all eyes to gravitate towards her. "Fear is a four letter word, pups. If you wanna go pee pee on a big-boy fire hydrant, then keep it to yourself. It makes your mommas PROUD TIME!"

At her pep talk, the other animals yelped determinedly in response- whereas Ralph let out a less than enthusiastic squeak as he coward into the back.

"Find those scorpions, then the people!" Calhoun demanded as she courageously wiggled her way through the doors into the unknown, the others quickly following in suit. "Let's move'em out!

Instead of following them immediately, however, Ralph gulped. _Can I really do this?..._

He took a moment to peer over his broad shoulder. There he saw multiple cameras pointed in his direction, causing him to squirm uncomfortably.

Looking past them, though, he saw the other people's faces- the other officers, the nurses and doctors, and, more eye-catching, that of the crowd of family or friends whose loved ones were trapped inside the hospital. Ralph quickly realized that some of those people still looked pretty anxious, others still looked somewhat angry. But no matter what they really felt, each had a small light of hope, of peace written on their faces...

And were looking partially to Ralph as the source of that hope and peace.

A bone-rattling chill ran up the mastiff's back as he forced himself to slip silently through the doors.

Ralph the guard dog may be pretty dense, but he was smart to realize that _he_ was thought - and _expected_ \- to be a fellow powerhouse as well. And no thought terrified him more.


	31. Chapter 30: Dark Encounter

**Chapter 30: Dark Encounter**

Once inside the hospital's main corridor, Ralph quickly found that the building was actually even _darker_ and even eerier than he had previously thought. The only light the canines had to guide them was a creepy glow from a tented window somewhere deep down one of the hallways. There was where Ralph was able to faintly see Calhoun and the others sniffing around.

"Come on, _Captain,"_ the stern doberman hissed loudly when she vagely spotted Ralph behind her. "Keep up with us or you end up as puppy chow."

Deciding that didn't sound like much fun, the mastiff gulped in fear and quickly jogged over to where the others had their noses. He tried to glance around nervously, unhappy with the fact that he was unable to clearly see where he was going in the mostly dark, creepy hallway. And although there being a wide distance between the walls down the hallway, the nervous dog couldn't help but feel extremely claustrophobic.

Ignoring his uneasiness, Ralph imitated the others and blindly sniffed the floorboards. A sudden loud sound of a door shutting in the distance caused him to jump, accidentally crashing into Marco.

"Watch it!" the golden retriever growled, shaking his fur in anger. "You only weigh a _thousand pounds_ there!"

"S-sorry," Ralph quickly jumped back, tail between his legs in embarrassment. "I couldn't see."

"Well, no duh! None of us can!" Mac hissed out nearly, making Ralph gulp.

Calhoun's distrust and annoyance with him were clearly starting to rub off on the other pooches on the force as well.

"Why is it so dark in here, anyway?" The mastiff distracted himself by wondering out loud, trying to allow his eyes to adjust the extremely dim light. "The hospital was open when the scorpion things attacked, right?"

At his unprofessional question, Calhoun paused in her smelling and sighed loudly in the dark. Although she already had some serious doubts about this supposed captain, the doberman was _really_ getting tired of this mutt and his oblivious questions.

 _"Of course_ it was open!" she snapped across the room. "The power got shut off so that the water tankers will be ready to get to spraying as soon as possible!"

Somehow spotting her pitch black form in the darkness, Ralph somehow managed to wander over to where Calhoun was walking. Having to quicken his pace, he quickly stumbled after her.

"Water tankers?" He asked her without thinking, feeling his face wrinkle slightly in confusion. "You mean those ones outside? Why do they need to be here, anyway?"

At his words, Calhoun stopped walking so abruptly that Ralph had to stumble forward a little on his large paws in order to keep from crash landing on her. Although it was pitch black with no trace of light anywhere around them now, Ralph could still feel that the doberman had turned to stare at him.

"What are you, _thick?!"_ She hissed at him ridiculously. "Completely drowning them in water is the only way to stop a large group of these mutated scorpions! You didn't know that?!"

"Oh, wait- yes, of course, I did," the hiddenly blushing mastiff quickly stumbled out as a weak answer. "We just did things a little different in, uh, my unit."

Laughing nervously and awkwardly, Ralph avoided acknowledging the sharp feeling of an unseen, piercing glare he was receiving from the sergeant. Instead, he pressed forward, silently pleading Calhoun would ignore his foolishness and just focus on their mission.

The lightless hallway leads the group of dogs into a large room, which Ralph guessed was a huge waiting room. It, like the hallway connected to it, was pitch black with no light peeking through a window as previously enjoyed.

Random hospital instruments were laying around, apparently quickly abandoned as a result of a mad dash. The waiting room chairs and tables once peacefully bearing magazines were toppled over, creating an interesting, unseen obstacle course for the sniffing pooches.

Stumbling over a flipped chair leg, Ralph whimpered slightly as he collided into a wall, the others snickering at his fall.

"Good grief, it's even darker in here!" The mastiff whined out loud as he stumbled to his feet- only to trip over an abandoned stethoscope in the process. "They really can't turn the lights back on at least until we actually _find_ the scorpions? I mean, what if we step on one or something?"

Somewhere unseen to his right, Calhoun groaned out loud as she exasperatedly threw her head back. She turned slowly around towards the source of her aggravation, stalking toward him.

"What's one of the first rules of any police K-9 unit, Ralph?"

Gulping slightly, the mastiff picked his brain for the best answer he could come up with.

"Uh...'No cuts, no buts, no coconuts'?" he muttered the first thing that came to mind. The group around him, still unseen, laughed callously at what they thought was a bad joke.

Except for Calhoun. She had had enough of this unprofessional, untruthful...beyond _annoying_ mutt.

Extending her neck just to stick her nose straight into his own nose, Calhoun growled into the mastiff's face.

"It's to obey the orders of our human leaders. Right now that means finding those mutated scorpions, retreating back to Office Croft, and leading her and the other officers to where the scorpions are- and that's it, soldier!" The doberman hissed loudly, causing Ralph to jump. "Our comforts and wants always come in second to their orders, Pussycat! So stick with the program!"

Her nose pushing so hard into his, Ralph shook slightly in fear- beyond getting her point.

"Uh, right. Aye, Aye," he quickly agreed as he nodded, turning his head away from her piercing, concealed glare.

In response, Calhoun just rolled her eyes as she turned away from Ralph and walked deeper into the room. She had bigger things to worry about than this supposed, _dense_ captain.

"Now everyone, keep a watch out the best you can in this waiting room," she cautioned her other troops. "We're fully relying on our noses and ears right now. Don't let them fail you."

Ignoring the uneasiness starting to grow deeper inside him, Ralph quickly separated off into a different part of the room from the others. He tried to busy himself by blindly sniffing around the baseboards, flipped waiting room chairs and various medical tools- trying to catch a scent of an unknown creature to him.

His leather like nose suddenly brushing against the top of a small, hard object by the baseboard, Ralph paused to eye the object more closely in the low light.

At being disturbed by the mastiff's untimely sniffing, the object abruptly became alive- wiggling around for a moment right before it hissed out a strange, low buzzing sound. Cautiously yet curiously peering closer at the small object, Ralph watched in awe when small, green, glowing spots appeared on the creature's back, offering some sort of soft light to the mastiff's eye...

Allowing him to see that the object was in the faint yet distinct shape of that of a scorpion.

Quickly stumbling back, Ralph blinked repeatedly, suddenly startled -and terrified- by his discovery.

 _This must be one of the mutated scorpions the others were talking about!!_ his mind screamed at him, loud alarms ringing inside his head as he tensed up. _The way they made it sound like, these creatures are heartless killers!_

His mind made up, Ralph was about to turn and run, afraid of just what this mutated creature could apparently do...

To realized seconds later that the small creature before him was still just sitting there, appearing to be completely harmless. It's two large, glowing, almost _cute_ eyes peered up at Ralph innocently, and by the way it blinked them tiredly, it was clear the creature wanted nothing more than to go back to its deep sleep.

 _No, this can't be one of the mutated scorpions everyone is so scared of_, the mastiff suddenly scoffed as he smirked. _This tiny creature is nothing! It's not even a quarter of the size of one of my paws! It's not scary or threatening at all!_

Although being more intrigued than afraid now, the mastiff still cautiously tip-toed forward a bit- and sniffed the scorpion-like creature a bit more.

A mixture of various, sour smelling medicines immediately shoved its way into the mastiff's nose, odors so offensive to him that it made Ralph's eyes water. Backing up until he was a fairly safe distance from the strong aromas, he realized that the odors were seeping from the small living creature before him. The mastiff had no idea such a small thing could smell so _bad_.

At being further disturbed, the small object suddenly became unhappy, more alert- and uncoiled itself, unfolding its six, strange looking appendages as they poked out from underneath. Two large claws-like arms also appeared, causing Ralph to cautiously back up a little further than before.

 _Ok, this thing is a little scary...and creepy..._

Suddenly appearing to be extremely irritated by the presence of the much larger animal, the scorpion revealed the most terrifying thing Ralph had ever seen...

That of an enormous tail that was hidden underneath the creature's body- and a crazy sharp stringer at the end of it.

At seeing the terrifying and large stinger, the mastiff froze in his place. He didn't care to be at the receiving end of _that_ thing, that's for sure.

Appearing to now view the mastiff as an enemy, the creature hastily scampered to the side, then back again in front of Ralph. It froze for a mere moment in time, staring in a trance up at Ralph...

Before slowly beginning to extend large, hidden wings- and began to slowly lift off the ground.

The scorpion's large and possibly _growing_ tail raised and curled more threatening as it hovered up a little above Ralph's eye level. Then, without warning, the creature darted stringer first towards Ralph's direction, moving at lightning speed.

Fortunately able to jump out of the way before the stringer struck his face, Ralph launched himself to the side- then _unfortunately_ ended up crashing into the wall.

Shaking his large head, Ralph laid plastered on the ground for a moment, his lungs feeling squished he was panting so hard.

 _Oh, that was a mutated scorpion, all right...and it's even worse than I thought!_ he realized in horror.

No scorpions he could think of had wings like that, glowed green spots like that, moved that fast...or _grew_ as fast as that thing did.

Forcing himself to slowly and cautiously sit up, Ralph saw in horror that the creature was still flying around in the air and was _thrice_ as big as it was seconds ago. Its' strange glowing spots on its back were now neon green, nearly blinding the mastiff if he looked at them for too long.

But the worse of all, the creature's all too big sharp and powerful stinger on its tail was now even larger and sharper than before.

At missing its desired target, the mutated scorpion swooped back down and masterfully curled to fly up high, missing crashing into the wall with great skill. It paused and hovered before flying down and calmly landing on the ground- just inches in front of Ralph.

Creeping closer and closer to Ralph's feet, the horrifying creature continued to grow and mutate slowly as it did. Its' pinchers were now twice the size they were originally and the veins in the wings glowed as brightly as the spots on its back did.

The creature hissed threatening at Ralph as it approached, causing him to scatter backward on his hindquarters. He backed up as far as he could against the wall- and unfortunately backed himself in a large corner of the room.

At the tip of the creature's menacing stinger, some sort of bright neon green dripped freely- and the smell of medicine became that much more potent.

 _These crazy things inject medicine into whatever they sting?!_ Ralph gawked, getting more horrified by the second. _What like of freak experimenting is this?!_

Whimpering in fear as the scorpion continued to get closer and closer, the mastiff slightly raised a front paw off the floor. He knew this was it; he was done for.

With it's huge, dripping stringer raised and ready to strike, the creature ventured in, and was about to drive it's stringer into one of Ralph's huge paws when-

 _WACK!_

Calhoun came out of nowhere and kicked the scambling creature swiftly with her back legs, causing the creature to go airborne involuntarily. It crashed into one of the walls hard and crumbled as it hit the floor seconds after, jerking its long legs around until it finally became still.

Gawking silently, Ralph blinked blinding in the dark for a moment- but even then he still could feel Calhoun smirk cockily.

"You're welcome."


	32. Chapter 31: Sweet Mother Hubbard!

**Chapter 31: Sweet Mother Hubbard!**

Once again panting in the pitch black room, Ralph's heart raced as the glowing spots of the scorpion slowly fading away.

"What _was_ that thing?!" he blurted out loud, not realizing that he knew full well the answer- or the negative responses he would get.

"Uh, what?!" Marco cried out close by, having gathered around Sergeant Calhoun, Ralph, and their surprised, mutated guest. "That was a mutated _scorpion!_ What _else_ could it be?!"

"Yeah, how did you not know that, Captain Ralph?" asked little Maddox, peeking out from her place behind Mac.

"Because he's never even _seen_ one," Calhoun hissed before Ralph could formulate an answer, her voice so sharp everyone could hear her exasperation.

The group of dogs around her gasped and drew closer in, shock filling them.

"What?!" one pup called out. "A mutated scorpion chewed off his collar though, remember, Sergeant?"

"Yeah!" Macro agreed, confusion clear in his voice. "And he's the Captain of Sugar Russia's K-9 Unit!"

The now irate doberman snarled in return, decide it was time to out the fake captain; no one snuck onto her force -and remain on it for very long. Especially now that both human and animal lives were at state.

"No, one didn't chew off his collar...and, no, he's _not_ the captain of Sugar Russia's unit!!" she hissed, causing Ralph to shake in his place. "If he was, he would know all about the unit vans, all about the good dog collars, all about the _mutated scorpions_...all about being a _leader_ , for crying out loud!"

Everyone gasped at her words, all shocked she had made such an accusation...but more shock at just how true her words were.

"He's no Captain!" she growled to her troops around her, anger rising in her voice. "He's just a low-down _fraud!"_

Calhoun then swiftly approached Ralph, fiercely forcing him to back up into a corner.

It was time to get some much needed-answers.

"Care to explain who you really are, mutt?" She hissed savagely into Ralph's, causing the mastiff to further shake and to gulp fearfully.

His mind frantically tried to come up with another suitable answer, another clever lie- but his thinking was far too clouded with the fact that Calhoun -and possibly the others- were merely ready to kill him then and there.

In that moment, Ralph coward- knowing Calhoun was about to chew into him worse than the mutated scorpion almost did.

 _There is no way out of this one,_ he panicked, squeezing himself up against the corner the best he could. _I either fess up and die- or deny it all and die...Either way, I'm a goner._

Sensing that the other police dogs were approaching in on him as well, the mastiff was about to stumble out the first thing that came to his mind, greatly regretting his decision to even attempt to get on this force when-

"Sergeant Calhoun!" Madge interrupted Ralph's thinking suddenly from the far left side of the waiting room, right before another door. "I caught a scent of more scorpions!"

Jumping up, the chocolate lab pushed the slightly ajar door open with her paws- and instantly a large glow of neon lights from another hallway unexpectedly shined into the once dark room.

Steadily blinked repeated at the sudden harsh light, Ralph squinted in pain- before looking straight into Calhoun's face, still positioned in front of him.

There he saw that it was painfully clear on her face that Calhoun knew. The jig was up and she knew Ralph was lying through his fur, that wasn't a real K-9 police dog, let alone a Captain...no how much he tried to continue to lie to her.

And by her scrunched up eyebrows, piercing eyes, and wicked, _deadly_ snarl, it was also clear the doberman wasn't too happy about being lied to.

But before she could attack him or even think anything else, a loud, now familiar buzzing sound slowly filled the animals' ears.

Frantically turning towards the hallway, Calhoun then backed off Ralph and approached the door cautiously. She peered down the hallway- and, even from quite aways and in low light, Ralph could see her eyes widen.

"Look out!" The doberman suddenly screeched as she darted back into the middle of the waiting room...with a whole flock of glowing and hissing mutated scorpions flying right behind her.

The winged, wicked creatures above the dogs immediately got to work and caused mayhem- some of them immediately starting to swoop down, some landed on the ground to chase their victims. No matter where the scorpions were found, though, it was clear: they each were defensively attempting to kill every mutt in the room.

At the scorpions attacks, chaos and panic broke out almost simultaneously among almost all the dogs- despite most of them being trained to stay calm in such a situation. Marge and Maddox went racing and yelping behind a row of flipped tables, using them as a suitable shelter. Mac and Marco ended up ramming straight into each other before scrambling behind a fallen chair- both narrowly avoiding getting stung.

Calhoun was the only one who seemed to be unafraid of the creatures. She was confident being in the middle of it, darting around with expertise and dodging blow after blow.

One scorpion, with pinchers as large as Ralph's paws, suddenly aimed straight for the doberman's head- a terrifying sight to watch. In response, though, Calhoun swiftly ducked and missed the wallop, causing the attempting murderous creature to crash into the wall. When another took unexpected aim at her, the sergeant jumped out of the way, nearly missing being killed this time.

To make matters worse, Ralph realized only then, was that each scorpions appeared to be mutating slightly _differently_.

Most of the winged demons had huge, deadly stingers as its mutation- but it was sometimes coupled with large pinchers or sharp, big eyes to see and avoid oncoming dangers. Some seemed to have bigger wings and could fly more rapidly than others; some seemed to have longer legs, perfect for scurrying away quickly from low aimed kicks.

But no matter what mutation they possessed, each scorpion was determined to inject it's venomous into one of the dogs- and kill them all the same.

Beginning to panic even more, Ralph's eyes widened in horror when he saw just how many scorpions there _were_ in the room. Hundreds of the creepy, out-of-control killers were swarming around- and still more _were_ flocking in through the open door, ravenously seeking to kill.

This made dealing with the smallish one the mastiff had to earlier seem like nothing.

"Sweet Mother Hubbard!" he whimpered as he back up more into the waiting room desk, hoping not to be seen the cloud of scorpions buzzing about.

Unfortunately, Ralph's movement caught the attention of a few scorpions that had gone unnoticed as they landed not too far from him. Deciding he was their next victim, the creatures quickly scampered over to him, hissing as they raised their threatening stingers up. Completely frozen in fear, Ralph felt paralyzed for a moment.

When another one started to swoop in his direction, though, the terrified mastiff suddenly found his legs and quickly tried to jump out of the way or hide as the others had. But he quickly found that he wasn't quite so graceful and effective.

Ralph ended up clumsily tripping over his large paws yet again and crashing into the floor. The only upside was that the scorpion diving at him in the air had missed his skull and crashed into the desk, crumbling instantly.

The mastiff yelped as the other scorpions on the ground started crawling towards him, forcing him to roll out of the way. He ended up rolling onto the end of a pair of medical scissors, causing the sharp blades to point up.

Fortunately, instead of striking him, the scissors stabbed one of the creatures when it tried to dive a him, killing it instantly.

Scrambling up, Ralph began forcing his paws forward, tucking his long tail underneath him- one less thing for the scorpions to sting. Seeking safety from the other scorpions seeking to kill him, he tried to dive behind the desk, only to discover three more scorpions were already laying there. As the mastiff backed away from the desk and looked around, he saw that the numbers of the creatures were growing by the second.

"There's too many of them!" Calhoun exclaimed loudly as she herself got overwhelmed by the large amount of creatures swarming the room. Looking back towards the hallway, she knew the only chance her troops -and the idiotic impostor- had was to get out of the room immediately.

"Everyone retreat into the hallway, _now!"_ the sergeant then commanded, darting towards the door and into the now unlit hallway.

Without any hesitation, every dog abandoned their hiding places and bolted for the door as well, eager to get out of the danger zone.

Stumbling towards the door as well, Ralph tripped into the hallway- to faintly see that the others had already started galloping down the long stretch, their vague forms almost being swallowed by the darkness. Gulping, the mastiff took off after the mutts leading the way, seeking escape from the hundreds of killing creatures...

Only to peer over his shoulder to see that they were now flying him, seeming excited about the chase.

Gulping, Ralph hysterically focused back on the hallway before him- and only had time to think one solo thought.

 _Forgot the collar! I'd be lucky to get out of here with just my neck!!_


	33. Chapter 32: Imperfectly Normal

**Chapter 32: Imperfectly Normal**

Laying his head down once again on his corgi paws, Felix sighed heavily. Exhaustedly, he looked around the room as the others -his fellow animals and even the humans- were acting as if everything was perfectly normal.

And to an extent, everything was. The usual loyal 'customers' were making their usual rounds in the pet shop- patrons who never actually adopted an animal but always loved to come into the local pet shop and play with the animals nonetheless. Gene, being an 'adorable' favorite to these regular guests, was soaking up the love as usual with a smirk planted firmly on his squished up face.

A few _actual_ customers were getting their large bags of dog food, cat food, hamster food, and practically any other kind of animal food. Normal mishaps of accidental animal food spilling were happening here and there, along with the usual quick clean up from the more-than-eager-to-help dogs who acted like vacuum cleaners and immediately rushed over to eat up the food.

Yes, everything appeared to be per the norm.

But, in his little anxious corgi mind, Felix knew everything was _far_ from normal.

He nervously eyed Mr.Litwak's teenage niece, Stefanie, who was manning the ship at the cash register- as she usually did while her uncle was busy out and about. Usually, Felix was ecstatic when the girl would step in and help his owner; he was often found running over to her throughout the day and giving her his adorable licks and play bites, his little stubby tail wiggling happily.

But today, things were different.

It honestly felt raw and slightly _unsettling_ to see the young teenager helping take care of the customers instead of it being Mr.Litwak. Abnormal...strange...

Weird- something Felix didn't fancy all too much.

Maybe it was the reason _why_ she was here that upset the corgi so much- because she was here while her uncle was out, trying to find... well...

Instantly washed over with guilt for the millionth time that morning, Felix gulped and forced his mind to trail off. He was thankful for the distracting sound of dog food accidentally spilling out all over the floor yet again.

As he forced himself up onto his paws and grudging over to help vacuum up the mess, Felix' ears twitched slightly when they picked up on a conversation taken place in the bustling petshop.

Able to hone in on the chat, the pooch winced- recognizing that it was a discussion that had already taken place several times that morning. It was as if the conversation was taken place again and again just so it could be replayed for his mere torment, adding yet another layer of guilt.

"Hey, kiddo," a man began as Stefanie placed some extra change in his hand from the cash register. "Where that big ole guard dog that usually out front all the time?"

 _Guard dog..._

"Oh, Ralph?" The girl answered him with shrug. "He apparently ran off last night and Uncle Litwak went out to find him."

 _Ralph..._

 _Ran off..._

The man shoved the change into his pocket and whistled in empathy.

"Aw man, what a bummer. He's such a good guard dog," he mused as he waved at the young teenager before departing out the door, his bag of cat food in his arms. "Sure hope he turns up from being missing soon!"

 _Missin'..._

 _More like purposely missin'...like **going-Turbo** kind of missin'..._

At his thoughts, Felix felt his corgi ears flatten even more against his head, sighing in shame. He couldn't even continue eating up the spilled dog food before moping off back to his little dog bed to sulk.

The guilt he felt, the pain in his gut... The overwhelming fear and remorse and frustration...

The corgi could only hope it would go away soon and not become a normal part of his life.

-O-O-O-O-O-

The corgi was still moping around when Mr.Litwak came back in through the door of his pet shop an hour or so later... and he practically wilted even more when he saw his owner was once again with an empty leash.

"Still didn't find him, huh?" Stefanie asked disheartedly as she helped a little girl reach up and grab a hamster water dish that was on sale.

Her uncle shook his head despondently, a nervously, saddened look on his face.

"Nope, not yet," he answered her tiredly as he hung Ralph's worn out leash back up on a hook by the door- right where it belonged. "I looked everywhere for him. Where on earth could he _be?"_

The man shook his head and eyed where the infamous doggy door hole once was- now a makeshift patch over it. He sighed and came to lean against the countertop Stefanie stood behind.

"I still just don't understand why Ralph would run off permanently like that, anyway," he muttered, more to himself than to his niece. "He has never done that before. He's always right by the door in the morning..."

Still in his place on his bed, Felix gulped, feeling number by the second.

"It's almost like something happened to him...," Mr.Litwak wondered out loud, scratching his balding head in slight confusion and worry. "Like he just disappeared or something. .."

At his owner's words, the shiny collar Felix wore now felt like it was about to strangle him. It was once something he was so proud of- but now he wanted nothing more than for it to just be gone.

Snorting slightly, Stefanie helped check out the little girl's hamster bowl.

"It's kinda hard for a dog Ralph's size to just _disappear_ , Uncle Litwak," the teen pointed out with a shrug. "Someone could spot him a mile away."

Her uncle waved half-heartedly as the little girl and her mother excitedly left the pet shop seconds later.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," he nodded in agreement. "And it's not like someone could just pick up up a dog that size on the side of the road to take home, either."

In response, Stefanie adjusted her large pink glasses up on her nose and chuckled.

"I doubt anyone would _want_ to do that anyways, though. Most people take one look at Ralph and run the other way..." she mentioned before her smirk fell a bit. "They don't realize how much of a gentle giant he really is..."

Shaking her head to clear it of sad thoughts filling it, the teen eyed where Felix miserably laid.

"But that little pooch someone would take in a heartbeat," she joked as she motioned her head down at the corgi. "Felix is such a good boy..."

Looking over at the mascot of his pet shop, Mr.Litwak saw his little corgi laid shaking. His half-lidded, mournful eyes emptily stared at the floor in front of him, causing concern to his owner.

"Speaking of Felix," Stefanie continued as her uncle walked over to where the pooch laid, "he hasn't been himself at all today, Uncle Litwak. He hasn't wanted to play or eat much. He's just been laying around pretty much all day."

As he scooped him up, Mr.Litwak found Felix' normally happy, relaxed, wiggly body was now fairly still and stiff at being picked up. His ears hung down and his eyes stayed unhappy and dark as he shook.

"You don't think he's getting sick, do ya, Uncle Litwak?" Stefanie asked, her voice clearly marked with worry.

The man couldn't help but chuckle at her concern.

"Nah," he affectionately assured her as he gently ruffled the pup's head. "He was acting like this when I came in first thing this morning. I bet he just realizes Ralph's gone and doesn't know what to think about it all."

 _'Realizes Ralph's gone'?_ The corgi thought in absolute agony. _I'm one of the very reasons why he went Turbo!_

"Hey, I know what'll make you feel better, Felix," Stefanie suddenly brightened, fishing around in a small cubby underneath the front desk- before pulling a bright blue, brand new collar. With happy, shiny tags.

Made especially for a now horrified Felix.

"Here you go, boy. Your brand new collar," the teenager cooed as she unclipped the corgi's old collar and set it aside. Gently, she clipped the new one around his neck, it's shiny tags nearly blinding the guilty corgi's eyes.

Instead of wiggling happily at the sight of his new collar as he done in times past, Felix seemed to wilt even more. He had completely forgot about getting his new collar- and maybe even semi-forced himself to pretend like he wasn't getting it the first place. It had been part of the reason why Ralph left in the first place, after all...

As he wretchedly stretched his neck a little in order to get more adjusted to the new collar, Felix sighed miserably. He didn't know if it was just his guilty conscience stabbing at him again or not, but this new collar felt _way_ too restrictive around his neck, feeling like it was going to choke him to death.

"What's wrong, Felix?" Mr.Litwak ask softly, holding the uncomfortable corgi up a little. He wiggled his corgi's collar around a bit, making sure himself that it wasn't too tight on the small dog's neck. "You don't like your new collar?"

His blue eyes screaming out the answer more than he ever could, the corgi gulped and just shook slightly.

"Yeah, I bet you're right," Stefanie suddenly mused as she reached over and patted the obviously depressed dog's head. "I bet Felix is just very troubled that Ralph is gone. It really _does_ feel weird not having a guard dog out front. It makes the pet shop feel..."

 _Unsafe? At risk?_ Felix whimpered in his head, eyeing her in fear.

"...Empty, somehow?" Mr.Litwak finished for Stefanie, earning a solemn nod from her. "Yeah, having a great animal missing from your life can do that to ya."

Despite still being worried, the man suddenly smirked, eyeing his niece with light, joking eyes.

"That's why I _still_ can't believe you don't have a pet of your own, Stef," he joked, reaching over to gently ruffle her blond hair.

The teen returned the smirk with an eye roll and pushed his hand away, a little taken back by the change of conversation. It was one that she had often with her fellow animal-loving uncle- who always teased her about not having a pet of her own.

Normally, the discussion would slightly annoy the girl... but today, both her and a silent Felix were happy for the sudden, light-hearted shift in conversation.

"Yeah, well, I'm still waiting for that one _perfect_ animal to come along to adopt," Stefanie answered her uncle, scooping Felix from his arms to rub noses with the corgi. _"You_ just haven't brought them into this pet shop!"


	34. Chapter 33: Beware of Good Dog

**Chapter 33: Beware of Good Dog**

Around lunchtime, Mr.Litwak and Stefanie left the pet shop to get some food, flicking off the main light switch and flipping over the 'Open' sign of the shop to the 'Closed' side ...leaving a still despondent Felix alone with the other animals.

The corgi watched as a parrot named Beat flew around joyfully and opened up the crates and cages that contained the other animals- as the bird always did when the owner of the pet shop left. As long as they were all back and locked up in their places before Mr.Litwak got back, the oblivious man never knew of the animals' excursions inside his shop while he was absent.

Once all the respected animals were allowed out, they all made their way towards the back of the petshop were the small, dimly lit break room was. The creatures always gathered there when they could; it was like a well-needed break for themselves.

Mopping along inside the break room himself, Felix numbly saw on a large shelf, Mr.Litwak's two-channeled, tiny box tv was still turned on. The tv brightly lit up the dingy little room a little more as the twelve o'clock news came on, scrolling random headlines at the bottom of the screen.

Ignoring it, the downhearted corgi looked around the rest of the room and unsurprising saw nothing really looked much different than yesterday. The break room still had its usual shambles and cluttery mess- although today, Felix could admit, it looked a little worse for the wear.

Stacks upon stacks of unfinished paperwork that Mr.Litwak was notorious for always having around were scattered all over on a desk that was already on the small size. Sharpies and rolls of tape were strewn all over the desk as well, making the poor, flimsy desk that much smaller. A tall retro 80s lamp, usually standing right beside the desk, was pushed over to one side. It's brightly colored shade was slightly askew and shining the lamp's bright light on the old, worn out copier 'ole man Litwak swore he'd replace soon enough.

But upon taking in the unorganized mess, Felix' eyes caught something in the copier's paper tray- a type of paper he had never seen before. It was bright neon orange and was in larger squares than normal paper was...

Shaking Felix from his curiosity, Skrillex the rabbit came bouncing in abruptly- hopping right atop the copier. As Beat landed on the lampshade and successfully shooed the hare away, Skrillex clumsily knocked off some the pieces of bright orange paper onto the ground as he scrambled off the copier.

As Felix tiptoed over and peered closer at a piece of the thick, huge paper, he was shocked to read the words 'LOST! $100 dollar reward' written in bold print with a black sharpie...

And his stomach and heart flipped-flopped in unison when he saw a huge picture of happy-looking Ralph glued right in the middle of the paper.

"Man, did you _see_ all the customers we had this morning?" Gene suddenly asked Mary enthusiastically as they filed in the room as well- causing the gulping corgi to shake more. "There were at least thirty!"

"More like _twice_ that many!" the maltese countered happily, pausing in walking to scratch behind her white-furred ears.

Beside them, Bob smirked as they all lumbered into the small break room.

"It doesn't matter _how_ many exactly there were," he laughed out. "The point is there was a lot!"

"I wondered what lead to so many people coming in today," Glen wondered out loud as he slowly trudged behind the pack. "Why do you think there were so many people today, Felix?"

But the corgi didn't -couldn't- answer. He was too busy disheartedly staring down at the picture of Ralph, a similar twist forming in his small corgi stomach.

He was so deep in gut-wrenching thought that Felix hadn't even realized that Gene had scampered across the room to where he stood - or that the pug was peering disgustedly down at the same picture he was.

"Oh, I think we _all_ know why we had so many customers today," Gene snorted as if it was all too obvious, turning around to face the others and sat his pug bottom down with emphasis. "It's because a certain ugly, so-call _'guard dog'_ wasn't out front scaring people away today as usual!"

His large orange ears twitching, Felix bit his lip. Hard.

 _Say somethin', Felix!_ the corgi's mind immediately began to push him, egging him to do something- to say something. _Defend Ralph like you should've done earlier!!!_

But the corgi couldn't force himself to even open his mouth, his mind unable to successfully convince him to stand up for the runaway mastiff. All he could do was miserably eye down at the poster, his gut kicking him even more.

He found himself quickly shocked, though, when Mary gasped in response to the pug's accusation.

"Gene!" she hissed, her furry, angry face illuminated even more so by the glow of the old tv as she narrowed her eyes at the pug spoken to. "Ralph has only been gone for a few hours! Show some respect!"

Rolling his eyes at her reprimanding, Gene huffed- then allowed his face to soften into a look of bliss.

"Right. He's _gone,"_ he sighed almost dreamfully. "Hopefully gone for go-"

"Hey, what's going on on the news?" Bob interrupted as he stared up at the TV, a news story just beginning to play out- with a picture of _their_ pet shop as the cover story.

Every animals' eyes dragged up towards the news story, where a professional newscaster sat behind a desk. Even Felix forced his eyes away from being glued to the photo of Ralph. Sighing, he weaved his way through the crowd of animals to peer up at the box tv himself.

 _"...Most of our viewers will likely recall that several months ago, a masked man broke into a local pet shop entitled 'Mr. Litwak's One-Stop Petshop'",_ the newscaster began, her face stoic and serious as she held some papers in her hands. _"He was immediately attacked by the shop's fierce, outside guard dog named Ralph and was lead to a hospital with the need of several stitches on his right leg..."_

"Hey! I remember that!" Bob barked out happily as he long wagged his tail in remembrance.

"Well, no _duh!_ " Glen snipped back by his feet, the turtle finally in the room. "That's probably because it happened _here,_ moron!"

"Shh!" Felix hissed as politely as he could, his large blue eyes still staring up at the tv with a growing feeling of nostalgia...and anxiety.

 _"...one of the worse in the state, with a grand total of 25 stitches needed on his right shin and calf,"_ the newscaster continued. _"Afterwards, the masked man was hauled off to jail on a count of attempted burglary and theft..."_

"Wow, I forgot the robber had to get that many stitches on his leg," Mary awed out loud. "Ralph can really pack quite the bite."

 _"Could,"_ Gene snuggly reminded her- his face still filled with glee. "He _could_ pack quite the punch."

"SHH!" The corgi in front of them growled once more, slightly louder -and harsher- than last time as his ears flattened up against his head.

 _"...it's been discovered that the man behind bars has been proven guilty of extreme cases of animal abuse in the past, with several serious accounts of animals cruelty charged against him."_ The woman reporting the story paused when a picture of the man was shown on screen. _"And now a current, on-going investigation_ _is_ _being held_ _to see if the man is a_ _suspect of owning an animal experiment laboratory that was in operation not too far south of the town of Arcadia, in the town of..."_

"WHAT?!" Deanna/Dina suddenly cried as she sunk down lower into her place, allowing none to hear what the newscaster was saying next. "That's INSANE!"

 _"...where, coincidentally, the source of where the mutated scorpions seem to be streaming from...,"_ the newscaster continued pointedly, just audible to Felix' ears over the surrounding animals' whispering.

Bob suddenly shuttered out loud as a new thought occurred to him.

"Wait...if that horrible man _did_ own that kind of place...is-is that why he broke into _our pet shop_ in the first place?" He gulped out to the others. "To get _more_ animals... to experiment on? To abuse?!"

A collective gasped was past around the room as the disturbing revelation was made, each animals' eyes wide and deeply, deeply afraid.

"That, that means-" Glen broke off as he shot all four legs deep inside his shell in fright.

"...He might have used _us_ for some wacko animal experiment, had he gotten a hold of any of us!" Gene finished for the turtle as a cold chill of pure shock ran up his spine. "He could've used _us_ as some freak experiments! _Us_ as toys for abuse!!"

Although such a horrid thought forced its way into his own mind, Felix scooted closer to the TV to hear better.

"Everyone PLEASE be quiet!" He begged in his southern accent, silencing everyone for the time being.

 _"...the horrible animal abuse facility was shut down since the man was placed into custody,"_ the newswoman happily stated- although some strange weariness was win her voice still. " _And the facility has currently been renovated into an animal hospital/animal adoptive services center for homeless animals..."_

"That's good, at least," Mary said as a breath she didn't realize she was holding escaped her lips. "The horrible laboratory was shut down..."

 _"...however,"_ the young newswoman continued dramatically, her voice noticeably darker than before, " _it has been reported that there may be some suspects still on loose in connection with the man behind bars- and the shutdown, horrendous experimental lab. As you viewers know, a number of break-ins have taken place the past few days from all over Arcadia and the neighboring towns- all unusually seeming to be targeting various animal-related places. Each break-in is being investigated carefully- and, according to Officer Croft, the leader of Arcadia's finest K-9 officers of Hero's Duty, each break-in could potentially be linked to the possible, on-the-run co-owners of the once-active animal lab..."_

"Wait...break-ins are happening _again?!"_ Mary whined out in panic- before her eyes widened to the size of saucers as a sudden, traumatizing thought occurred to her.

"What if - what if they break in _here?!"_ she cried, causing another gasp to spread like wildfire around the room, every pet wide-eyed with pure panic.

"Guys, guys! Please!" Felix tried in vain to get his friends to calm down enough so he could hear the rest of the story. "That won't-"

"And if they do break in here," a voice interrupted, "we won't- we won't-"

"...we won't have _Ralph_ here to protect us now..." Gene ironically finished for them, staring straight ahead in sudden horror.

Before he could even use his calming tone and voice to calm everyone down, Felix watched in horror as the shocking revelation had already sent out. A panic-stricken wave of loud, horrified shrieks began ringing between the animals, their bodies shaking in paralyzing fear- and causing a rippling effect on each other.

Mary nearly fainted on Skrillex, unable to process the sickening thought of being used as an animal experiment. In response, Skrillex hopped sporadically- and crashed into the lamp, causing it to fall over and making some of the smaller animals in its a path scramble out of the way.

Glen completely disappeared from total sight as he drew back into his shell- which got step on by a clumsy, shaking Lucy. As it slipped from underneath her paw, the shell somehow ricocheted off the floor and up onto the desk. Multiple stacks of papers were knocked over at the force of the turtle's shell, causing papers to fly around and do flips and turns as they sailed through the air- making the scene that much more chaotic.

"WOULD EVERYONE PLEASE SHUT THEIR SNOUTS!" An angry, irritated southern voice exclaimed through the madness, making everyone freeze in their spot.

Now silent and still, the group of on-edge animals turned to stare at a furious Felix. They'd never heard the good dog yell before- or seen him quite this angry before, shaking slightly in his spot as his ears stood straight up...yet, somehow, he still was found to be adorable even with his scowling face.

Thankful to gain everyone's attention, the corgi took a calming breath and closed his eyes as a few stray papers continued to fall around him.

"Please...everyone. There's no need to panic," he told the group, his voice now calmer and soft- instantly causing the desired effect of peace to spread among the other animals. "There's not a break-in happenin' _now_ , so please, just-"

He was cut off when an ill-timed, forceful _click_ was heard from the front door... causing every animal -including a startled Felix himself- to turn their heads slowly towards the sound and freeze in pure panic.


	35. Chapter 34: Shaky Decisions

**Chapter 34: Shaky Decisions**

A few agonizing seconds after the _click_ of the door was heard, a mysteriously loud clash quickly sounded out ...

Causing most of the animals in the break room to snap in sheer panic.

Seizing hold of the panic inside him, Skrillex began hopping erratically, knocking off even _more_ papers from the desk. Glen popped out of his shell long enough to be shot off the desk by the crazy bunny and to land square on his back, spinning around and around in circles as animals of all sorts dashed madly beside him. Mary actually _did_ faint this time, collapsing into a white ball of unconscious fluff.

"Wait, everyone! Calm down!" Felix tried in vain to assuage the group, but his extra weak, already shaking voice was drowned out by the rest of the others' screaming. "Everythin' is-"

"SOMEONE'S BREAKING IN!" Dona/Dina screamed out, leading to the animals around to break out into even worse panic. Every animal began screeching in fear, dashing around the room as papers rained down on them.

Bob ran around the small room, bumping and trampling anything close by as he barked out loudly and unintelligently with words not even Felix could make out in the frenzy. Gene cowardly hid in the corner behind the desk...and although it was far too loud to tell with the madness happening, Felix could've sworn he heard the pug whimpering out Ralph's name pleadingly.

Suddenly a set of calming, puzzled yet familiar human voices were heard by the doorway- causing Felix to jerk his head up ...

To relievingly see Stefanie was now standing in the door frame of the break room, her eyes bugged out behind her glasses. The pet shop's owner, Mr.Litwak himself, was right beside her- a nasty looking goose-egg forming on his forehead as he stared at the chaotic, fur-raising scene.

"What in the name of Sega's sakes is going _on_ in here?!" The old man hissed out to no one in particular, seemingly unnoticed by the out-of-control animals as they continued their frenzy. "How'd all the animals get out?!"

"I don't know!" Stefanie choked out as she tried to desperately grab at the crazy hopping rabbit, the animal making the most mess. "They must've gotten out somehow!"

"They _can't_ just get out!" The man called back as he quickly knelt before Bob to calm the labradoodle's loud, head-splitting barking. "Someone must've let them out! Their cages are wide open!"

Suddenly flailing his panicked eyes around the room, Mr.Litwak sighed as they landed on a scared, shaking Felix in the corner of the room- the poor corgi's face beyond traumatized.

Looking back at Stefanie, the man quickly went to scoop up the shaking corgi.

"We've got to get to the bottom of this haywire mess!"

-O-O-O-O-O-

Around a half hour later, the chaos once overtaking the break room was long over. Papers were now semi-neatly stack up back on the desk -including the reward papers bearing Ralph's face and info- and the lamp was now standing upright again.

All of the once frantic animals were somewhat calmer than before as most of them now sat in their respective cages and crates, silently shaking as they eyed their master in fear.

None of them felt completely calm. But were calmer, nonetheless.

When the last animal, Beat the parrot, was placed noticeably shivering inside his cage hanging off the ceiling, Mr.Litwak took a moment to rub the large, raised bruised on his forehead- caused by the once open door of said parrot's cage.

"I _still_ haven't figured out how they all got out," his niece told him as she stroked a trembling Gene's head, cradled safely in her arms. "Or what got them so spooked."

"I don't know either, sweetheart," the man shakily told her as he shuddered slightly in his place. "But some weird things have been happening around here. First Ralph suddenly goes misssing, now all the animals have mysteriously learned how to get out of their cages..."

Down by his owner's feet, Felix continued to shake. He hadn't been able to stop shaking since he saw that news report, actually...so unsettling and flat out terrifying to the corgi's soft heart.

With Mr.Litwak here again, Felix knew he had no real reason to shake so badly or be so afraid at this point- but he honestly didn't care, nor tried to control his shake anymore. He just shook and shook, peering up at Mr.Litwak with pleading eyes that overly begged to be held and snuggled close.

As if reading the corgi's wide, telling blue eyes, the man picked up the shaking dog, stroking his head softly and reassuringly- yet Felix continued to shake. And despite receiving the affection he had been wanting, the corgi felt no calmer.

"I mean, why were all of these animals in their cages, snug and sound when we left... then, when we come back a little earlier than normal to catch the tail-end of that news story, all heck had broken loose?" Mr.Litwak asked as he peered down at the pup in his hands. "And why are they all still kinda of jumpy, even now? I just don't get it..."

Beyond worried, Mr.Litwak gently placed his fingers around the corgi's collar and gingerly jiggled it absentmindedly.

"I mean, I examined the front door to make sure there was no sign any possible... break-ins...," he continued with a gulp. "And we searched high and low, but nothing has turned up."

Unsure of what to think, the despondent man sighed and scratched his balding head, as if hoping it'd help produce some sort of an answer that would make sense.

"All I know is," he finally answered, "that I'm spooked at all this myself...and with news that more break-ins of pet shops are being reported..."

Worried at those reports as well, Stefanie bit her lip as she placed Gene back down in his little martini-print dog bed, watching as the pug snuggled deep into the pillow with extreme trembling.

"What if- what if those robbers do break-in here, Uncle Litwak... _again?"_ the young girl asked with a gulp.

Her uncle sighed, clearly unsure of how to answer her. "I know, kiddo. I'm kinda worried about that happening again, too..."

"It's too bad you don't have some sort of a security system in place...," she muttered out loud, more to herself than him.

Chuckling sadly, the girl's uncle interrupted her line of thought.

"I've never _needed_ a security system, with good 'ole Ralph around...," he shook his head as memories flooded into it. _"Every_ robber in town had enough sense to not break in this place with _him_ guarding it, especially after that one guy tried to and nearly got his leg bitten off..."

He sighed once again as a sad, nostalgic look came over his face, snuggling the corgi a bit closer to his chest.

Approached him cautiously from the other side of the room, Stefanie came closer. "But...with Ralph gone now..."

The man sighed in fear, in pain at her words as if he had been suddenly punctured in his lungs.

Mr.Litwak visibly thought as hard as he could, desperately trying to come up with some way, _any_ way, to protect his pet shop and the precious animals it contained.

He _could_ purchase an alarm system...but the pet shops broken into lately, he'd heard, already had such devices set up. They didn't seem to deter robbers from breaking in at all.

He _could_ break down and buy some high-tech security cameras...but what good would they really do? Many of the other pet shops had that set up already as well- and it didn't seem to aid the police in catching the masked men robbing the animals.

Thinking deeper, Mr.Litwak realized that no alarm systems, no fancy security cameras could ever replace the work that a well-trained _guard dog_ could do. They were usually the most proven deterrent of thieves, after all...

Finally beyond desperate for ideas to protect the defenseless animals under his care, the hopeless man even considered that he _could_ actually get another guard dog...

But the mere thought of replacing his loyal Ralph pained Mr.Litwak deeply.

 _Plus_ , the man realized quickly, _there's no real way to replace such a dog like Ralph, anyways..._

Ralph was a good mixture -a perfect mixture, really- of strong protectiveness and yet easy gentleness rolled into one dog.

The bull mastiff could get defensive- but usually only when he rightly felt the need to be. He could even quickly become extremely dangerous towards an unwelcomed guest- but yet he wasn't a dog that loved to attack for no valid reason, as some guard dogs seemed to be.

Ralph seemed to have the unique sense of reading others and could tell whether a deep bite or a sharp bark or just a warning growl was best warranted...and Mr.Litwak trusted that judgment time and time again.

But the fact that Ralph had never even _once_ become hostile towards him or Stefanie was one of the qualities Mr.Litwak valued most about Ralph. And on top of that, the man couldn't think of even _one time_ when the mastiff had growled aggressively towards most of the customers of the pet shop- or even the animals it contained.

The mutt was really just a teddy bear most of the time, loving and extremely gentle around the more feeble customers and the tiny creatures of the pet shop. In fact, the only time anyone really ever got hurt by Ralph was when he accidentally stepped on their feet or clumsily bumped into them- which he quickly begged for forgiving by licking the victims' faces to death.

The fact was that Ralph was more or less a gentle giant towards most people and animals, balanced in his protectiveness and gentleness was extremely unique to Mr.Litwak. He knew such a balance of qualities was hard to come by naturally in a dog as it seemed to in Ralph..and it usually took _years_ to train most guard dogs to have those qualities in a balanced way.

His heart suddenly paining him, Mr.Litwak realized that of all the different types of dogs he'd dealt throughout his life, Ralph was one the finest dogs he'd ever met...and was thankful to call his own...

Making the decision to replace the mastiff even temporarily to come to a quick dead-end.

 _Besides_ , Mr.Litwak reasoned, _there's no way of guaranteeing that the dog I would get to 'replace' Ralph wouldn't be hard to train...Or worse- actually harmful towards Stefanie, the customers, the other animals..._

Gulping, Mr.Litwak bit his lip, it suddenly clear what he had to do.

He _had_ to do all he could to protect the animals...even if that meant...

 _No_ , he mentally denied, _there has to be another solution. Anything but..._

...the only thing he could think of to do.

After a despondent head shake, Mr.Litwak eyed the rest of the animals in his beloved petshop...and finally mumbled out words that struck Felix and the other animals straight to their cores:

"It might be best -and safest for the animals- to temporarily _close_ the petshop down until we get this all figured out."


	36. Chapter 35: Beware of Guard Dog (Not)

**Chapter 35: Beware of Guard Dog (Not)**

 **(Quick A/N: I know I've gotten waaaaay off track from how the movie Wreck it Ralph actually is and its dialogue, but I'll get back on it soon. It just has taken me awhile filling in a few gaps to get there ;) )**

With Felix still cradled with one arm, a distraught Mr.Litwak slumped over and picked up Felix' little fuzzy blue bed and his plush hammer squeak toy. After he carried them all into the break room and set them down, the man then set the orange and white corgi in the middle of the dog bed.

"You stay here, boy, while we figure this all out," he told the corgi softly as he reached down and ruffled the fur on Felix' head. Sighing once more, the man finally walked away and shut the door behind him, containing Felix alone inside.

Now only with just his thoughts as his company, Felix continued to shake in his dog bed. His mind struggled to sort through all that had happened- in just a few hours time.

 _The beloved petshop...my home, he_ slowly pieced together, _is temporarily **closin** ' ...because we may be at risk of being kidnapped. No, animal-napped..._

 _All at the hands an abusive, crazed group of extreme animal 'scientists' who may or may not on the loose, although the odds looked to be in favor of it actually bein' true. Why would anyone just break into various animal-related places?_

 _If- if we get broken into again...and those people get a hold of any of us here in the pet shop..._

At the mere thought of something so terrible happening, Felix shuddered and trembled, trying to push out the horrific possibility.

But when his mind suddenly raced back to the break-in from several months ago... he realized that it all might be _more_ than just a possibility. More like a reality.

 _ **None** of us ever thought that break-in would ever happen,_ Felix pointed out to himself, _yet it did. It had come out of nowhere in the middle of the day ,while Litwak was out to lunch..._

Sudden unwelcomed memories of the sound of wood splitting and cracking under the weight of a crowbar being prided into it came flooding back...The sharp, unnerving sound _still_ rang sharply in Felix' ears even after all these months later; it was a sound forever imprinted in his mind - and a sound he never wished to here again.

It amazing him that one sound, one event could cause so many nightmares to him and others.

Closing his baby blue eyes, Felix found him unwillingly remembering more and more of that one event...and could just picture himself in the scene...

 _...I cowered behind the huge fish tank stand, shakin' somethin' awful the burglar continued to sharply break the door in. All time seemed to freeze then, crawlin' at an unimaginable, agonizin' slow pace..._ _I didn't know what to do, what to feel...other than to hide and shake with fear..._ _The masked man had just barely slipped in after busting the door open, apparently ready to grab as many small animals in reach that he could...including me..._ _..._

 _When the man let out an ear piercing scream_ _suddenly._

Felix opened his eyes suddenly and blinked repeatedly, once again completely overwhelmed by the memories he could never forget.

.. _.I peeked out from behind the large fish tank stand to see the image of Ralph appearin' out of nowhere. He clamped down with sharp teeth on the man's right leg, causin' the man to buckle to the ground instantly..._ _The bull mastiff, who face was usually soft, contorted into a savage-like snarl as he ... scarifyin'ly gently... dragged the screamin', masked man from away from the broken door..._ _...so that Ralph himself could stand in front of the pet shop, protectively and heroicly ever on guard as he ferociously growled at the would-be robber._

At the mere mental image of Ralph, standing on the defense and protectively in front of their pet shop, the tenderhearted corgi felt his bottom lip quiver slightly as more memories came.

 _After that, the police -and paramedics- were called by a concerned citizen who had witnessed the whole break-in. By the time Mr.Litwak had heard about the whole incident and had frantically rushed to get back to his petshop, the situation had come to a dramatic conclusion as the injured robber was placed securely into the back of the ambulance._ _The policemen still on the scene reported and recounted the events to Litwak to fill him in...which included telling him just how much to Ralph's credit it was that none of the animals had been taken or injured by the masked man...who had stolen other animals elsewhere before..._ _...And how surprisin'ly gentle of a watchdog Ralph really was with the robber although bitin' him the way he did. How most guard dogs would've savagely ripped into an intruder like a killin' machine- even if it wasn't really warranted at all at that point..._

 _Of course, Mr.Litwak was shaken up about the whole incident...but mostly, he was so glad he had decided to adopt the gentle yet strong, full-grown bull mastiff just a few months prior when he first opened the pet shop..._

 _My owner - our owner- praised Ralph greatly and even thank the dog for bein' there..._

 _Perhaps...more than I ever did..._

Felix' mind paused in its flashback for just a moment to chew over that one single thought...and his gut did a backflip when he recognized just how true it was.

Shaking off the heavy thought that he never showed Ralph any real appreciation, the corgi's mind race on.

 _Everyone in town quickly heard of what Ralph had done to protect the shop...and how the attempted thief had to get 25 stitches on his leg before being thrown off to jail..._

 _...Sure, a lot of stitches, no doubt...but for as strong as Ralph really was...he could've pulled off the man's leg if he really wanted to..._

 _No one would dare to break-in into the petshop after that. Would-be crooks were completely scared of what Ralph could and would do to them- and for good reason._

 _Now the dog's mere presence at the pet shop had the power to deter potential robbers or thieves away..._

. _..Or, at least it did at one point..._

Closing his eyes, Felix sighed once more and felt his body shaking again.

 _Ralph truly was a great guard dog; he showed that simple fact very well that he was that day._

 _He's fiercely protective and loyal, no doubt...yet would never be threatenin' towards any of us or Mr.Litwak or Stefanie or the customers..._ _And yet, even towards the would -be stealer, Ralph chose not to really tear into him..._

 _All because the bull mastiff knew his potential power. He knew that his bite was extremely dangerous...but he wasn't just a savage killin' machine like most guard dogs are._

 _He could probably even kill a man fairly easy if he ever wanted to, as many guard dogs would at the given opportunity...but Ralph chooses not to until a situation was absolutely dire enough._

 _Yes, Ralph was one of the strongest, toughest guard dogs ever..._ _And yet also one of **gentlest** at the same time._

Felix opened his eyes suddenly and after a moment, he realized that he was no longer shaking. That he felt calm. Relaxed. Strangely unafraid...

A sudden new feeling came to the corgi, a feeling that Felix recognized, for the first since Ralph had been gone, he now suddenly felt relentless.

Safe.

Felix the corgi felt unexplainably safe while Ralph had been around...and even at the mere mental image of the strong yet kind mastiff was enough to slow down his shaking and trembles. A slight smile surfaced on his face.

 _Ralph could be a cluz, yes, and a bit too big...and boy, could he have a temper. But overall... he would wholeheartedly protect me and the rest of the pet shop animals from any robber that dared to break-in..._

 _Ralph is a great guard dog._

 _No, a great dog._

 _A real good dog..._

 _Or at least, at one time the bull mastiff was._

 _Because now, he's...gone._

Instantly, as if almost by magic, the calm, relaxed, unafraid... the safe feeling Felix had felt was gone. Just like that.

Just like Ralph.

 _Ralph's gone. Gone Turbo,_ Felix whimpered softly in his head as he gulped down the lump in his throat- focusing his mind to accept the truth. _And all partly because...I didn't show Ralph the clear praise he deserved- one that fateful day or otherwise._

 _I lied to him, convinced him to go to that bad-dog meetin'...instead of doing the kind to do and invitin' him to the anniversary party._

 _I let Gene demean him, make fun of him...to push Ralph around mentally, emotionally..._

 _And I inadvertently aided Gene in chasin' away the best guard Arcadia has ever known._

At that mere thought, the little corgi cringed, almost in physical pain at the realization of just how badly he treated Ralph.

 _Who really is the good dog, then?_


	37. Chapter 36: Breaking News

**Chapter 36: Breaking News**

The disheartened corgi flopped down his head in his blue fuzzy bed, sighing as he did...only to bolt back up to his feet again.

Suddenly, his mind fasts forward to an even worse gut-wrenching revelation.

 _Regardless of whether or not the pet shop is now closed...we're still not truly safe in any event, _Felix quickly realized...

 _Because upon seein' that Ralph isn't at the door anymore on guard...and that the shop is closed...the nutty animal scientists would have even more of incentive to break-in. And they would even attack Mr.Litwak if they're brazen and desperate enough to take the animals..._

The corgi's stomach churned...and he started to shake all over again, perhaps even worse than before as he faced a simple yet profound fact:

He, his fellow animals, and even Mr.Litwak and his beloved niece were no longer safe anymore. Not by a long shot.

And they never would truly be again...

Not without their amazing guard dog around.

Quickly stumbling out of his puppy bed, Felix began to pace the floor in front of the desk. His large ears became stuck out of the sides of his head as he tried desperately to come up with an idea - _any_ idea to find Ralph.

 _There has to be a way we can find him,_ the corgi thought in distress. _There just **has** to be._..

Above him to the side, the small box tv was still on, this time replaying some cheesy soap opera show, one Felix knew that Stefanie sometimes watched in the middle of a slow day at the pet shop.

Still pacing, Felix paid the show no attention, half wishing Mr.Litwak would come and turn the tv off so that the near panic-stricken corgi could think more clearly.

A sudden bright light came flashing from tv, however, lighting up the room. Dramatic, ear-catching music began to play, enough to cause the pacing corgi to pause.

Peering up at the screen, Felix saw that the cheesy romance show was now cut off and was replaced by the same newscaster that had been doing the news earlier. The words _BREAKING NEWS!!!_ were scrolling strikingly at the bottom of the screen.

 _"This just in, folk,"_ the newslady said, sitting at the newsdesk with a frazzled look on her face. " _It has just reported that a live outbreak of mutated scorpions is on the loose at Arcadia's First Memorial Hospital. We've gotten word that people are still inside the hospital and that the K-9 unit squad of Hero's Duty is on the scene. Let's go there live where reporter Don K. Kong is on the scene. What can you tell us, Don?"_

The screen cut to a tall, lanky news reporter on the scene at the hospital, the same frazzled look on his face as the one the newslady had back at the studio. He clutched a handheld microphone and spoke as calmly -and excitedly- as he could.

 _"Yes, Nina, I'm live here on the scene of where the outbreak is taking place just inside the hospital. The situation is just too dangerous for the police forces and even the corresponding firefighters to venture inside yet and kill the creatures with water force._

 _"However,"_ the man continued shakingly, " _as you mentioned, Nina, the Hero's Duty unit of police dogs is on the scene as well and ready to infiltrate the building. We spoke to the head chief of the K-9 unit, Office Croft, just moments ago and received more information."_

Shaking his head in detachment, Felix sighed as the screen cut over to previously shot footage of a strong looking female officer.

Not really hearing her words of action, the corgi just blocked the whole scene out and continued to try and figure out just how he could find Ralph.

His soft corgi heart did go out to people involved in the situation at the hospital, though; he'd vaguely heard of just how nasty -and possibly deadly- a bite from one of those scorpions could be.

Just before he was about to turn around and start pacing again, the camera cut down to a group of canines sitting at Office Croft's feet...

And suddenly Felix' eyes began to blink. Twitch in shock. He shook his head once or twice to clear it from any possible fuzzies that might be in his eyes and blocking his vision.

But as he stared up at the tv screen, Felix felt his eyes widen at one and only one certain animal sitting in the shot all at once.

"RALPH?!?"


	38. Chapter 37: Courage

**Chapter 37: Courage**

Blinking up at the screen blankly yet again, Felix became completely and utterly slack-jawed. He took multiple double takes for a solid minute, in the pure case he had just imagined it.

No. There was _no way_ that the bull mastiff sitting near the female officer was Ralph. _No way._

But as the cameraman panned out even further from the policewoman- and down at the vested, pudgy pooch sitting anxiously beside her...with his slightly perturbed and bewildered face, with his fawn colored fur and wide, brown eyes...

There was no doubt about it in Felix' mind. He had seen right.

There, right before his large, round corgi eyes... right there on the television screen sat Ralph.

The petshop's missing guard dog.

The reporter was still talking with the officer, who was gesturing towards Ralph... and something else. As the camera zoomed out further, it revealed that the mastiff was surrounded by a tough group of near savage-looking police dogs, all looking ready to obey any and all commands from the officers around them.

But Felix' eyes stayed glued the bull mastiff, to Ralph -his thoughts still trying to get a full grasp on it all.

 _Th- there's Ralph._

 _THERE S RALPH!_

As the revelation suddenly sank deeper into Felix' mind, the corgi shook- only this time with pure happiness. Unable to stand still, he began jumping around, skipping joyfully as his stubby tail overtook his back end. He had never been so happy to see anyone in his life.

 _Ralph is okay!_ the jubilant corgi cried in his head, play bowing in pure joy as a huge smile came upon his face. _AND he was still in town! By golly, that great!!! And-and-_

... _Wait...he's on K-9 unit of police dogs now?_

Suddenly stopping in his happy, carefree skipping, the corgi froze for a brief moment to think curiously and dumbfoundedly.

 _How in the boo did he did do that?!_

Forgiving himself for his mental potty mouth, Felix quickly raced up closer the where the tv sat, and stood up on his hind feet to place his head closer to the tv. He stuck his big, rounded ears as close to the screen as possible to hear better.

Officer...Croft, was it? was speaking into the extended mic yet again.

 _"We're going to send these animals ahead of us into the building,"_ she told the ones in the audience, _"to find the greatest cluster of the mutated scorpions. Then, once found..."_

 _Wait...what?!_

Forgetting all about his wondering how Ralph got on the elite K-9 unit in the first place, Felix quickly realized that there was a much larger question that needed to be addressed.

 _Is Ralph really about to be sent inside that hospital...to help find some vicious mutated scorpions?!_

Stumbling backward and flopping down hard on his behind with a thud, the corgi shook his head.

 _Ralph's not trained for any of that! _He quickly panicked. _Those scorpions will find him and-and KILL him in an instant!_

Staring back up at the tv, right back at the quivering bull mastiff...the little corgi knew immediately what he needed to do.

 _I've **got** Mr.Litwak in here to see this, Felix_ quickly decided, _so that he can go rescue Ralph before he gets pushed into that mutated scorpions invested buildin'!_

Finding his legs again, the dog quickly raced over to the shut door of the break...and started to bark as absolute loudly as he could muster up.

Unfortunately, his little feeble barks - which wasn't any louder than a broken squeak toy on its last squeak- were barely heard through the heavy, closed door. Not giving up, the corgi resorted to frantically scratching at the bottom of the door, whining and howling loudly as he did.

Digging his nails into the base of the door, he threw glances over his shoulder towards the tv occasionally, just to make sure it was still showing the police dogs- particularly Ralph.

At one point, the scene had cut to a live shot of Ralph standing (and noticeably shaking) at the entrance doors of the hospital, right about to be sent inside...

 _Why aren't Litwak and Stefanie comin'?! There's no way they can't hear me!_ Felix thought frantically as he dug and howled, his nails starting to ache. _They've got to hurry and get their behinds in here so that they see that Ralph on the tv and-_

"Felix, what are you doing?" Stefanie asked rather annoyed as the break room door was opened suddenly. She lost her stern look quickly and chuckled as the cute corgi tripped over his feet at the door being open, bonking his white-furred chin on the hard floor.

Quickly bouncing up again and shaking off his fall, Felix' giant ears slapped the sides of his face. Ignoring the sting on his chin, the corgi raced over to television as fast as his little legs would let him to madly motioned towards the screen...

Only to look up and see in horror that the tv no longer was picturing Ralph. It had changed from the hospital scene- and was now showing a close up picture of a mutated scorpion instead.

"What's wrong, little guy?" Stefanie cooed innocently to the corgi as she approached. "Those mutated scorpions got you all jumpy? Awe, it's okay. They get me jumpy and creeped out, too."

She chuckled again as the corgi contiuned to gawk in horror.

"Here, I'll turn it off for you, pal," she tried assuaged his seeming fear. "Cute little naive pups like you shouldn't even be _watching_ the news."

Frozen in panic for a split moment, Felix felt his blue eyes go huge and his ears plaster to the side of his face.

 _I can't just let her turn the tv off!_ He thought frantically. _What if they show Ralph again? This could be our only chance of findin' him and bringin' him home alive! DO SOMETHIN', FELIX!_

And in that moment, something snapped in the corgi. A switch had been turned on in his all at once...

Thus leading him to do something he had never even thought of doing before.

Planting his feet firmly in front of the tv, he placed his too large ears squarely behind his head. And with usually soft, baby blue eyes now narrowed and scrunched down almost clear down to his nose...

Felix the corgi growled. For the first time in his life.

He bared his little teeth and growled as 'viciously' as he could...

Which only briefly startled Stefanie for a moment before she started laughing.

"Felix!" she said between giggles. "Why are you _growling?!_ You never growl, boy!"

Unfazed, she reached clear over his head...and switched off the tv.

Just as the screen went black again, Mr.Litwak appeared at the door, eyeing his niece with concern. "What's going on, Stef?"

The young girl just laughed and motioned down at Felix with a jerk of her head.

"I'm not sure, Uncle Litwak. Mr.Scarry Squeaktoy here just decided to _growl_ at me all off a sudden!"

But Mr.Litwak didn't share in her laughter at all as his eyes widened.

"What?" he asked in shock as he quickly knelt down to the ground, motioning Felix to come closer to him...which the corgi uncharacteristically refused to obey.

"Why on earth would he growl?" the man scratched the back of his balding head in confusion and looked down at Felix- who looked like was in utter dispair.

Shaking his head, Mr.Litwak felt his heart and stomach now intertwined- his worry just skyrocketing all the more so.

"What's gotten _into_ everyone lately?"

-O-O-O-O-O-

After his failed attempts in the break room, Felix and his bed were moved _back_ into the main room of the pet shop. A now very worried Mr.Litwak said he needed to 'keep an eye' on the corgi, to make sure he wasn't acting 'any weirder' by the end of the day- and if Felix was, that Mr.Litwak was going to take the dog to the vet first thing in the morning.

So, once again, Felix laid his head down rejectedly on his paws in his little bed- his mind and heart pounding in anger and frustation.

His attempts to show his owner that Ralph was at the hospital -and was about to get pushed into a building with mutated scorpions in it- had proved unsuccessful.

And on top of all that, now Felix could even end up at the _vet_ , of all horrible places.

Placing his paws over his eyes, the corgi whimpered. He couldn't believe how badly he had blown his chance to save Ralph, their pet shop...

And for the first time in his life, Felix realized he had failed.

He had failed his beloved pet shop. His friends. His owner.

He had failed _Ralph_.

He had failed himself, even.

The petshop was practically doomed, done for. _Ralph_ was practically doomed, done for- with no chance of survival.

And now there was nothing Felix or anyone else could do about it...

 _Or is there?_

Scrunching his eyebrows together as he thought hard, Felix pealed his paws from off his eyes and placed them back down on his bed. For a moment, he lifted his head and stared at the tips of his little corgi paws- a new thought striking him hard.

 _Who says that Mr.Litwak has to be the one who saves Ralph?..._

 _Could...could I be the one to do it instead?_

The new thought suddenly becoming terrifying to him, the corgi shook his head free- his whole body shaking from bad to worse.

 _No! What are you sayin', Felix?_ He crowed inwardly. _Who are you kiddin'?_

 _You can't possibly save Ralph yourself!_ _We're dealin' the great, wide town of Arcadia! There is no telling how many dangers are out there for a little corgi like yourself! And-and not to mention that mutated scorpions are involved, for Great Dane's sake!_

Rejecting the thought altogether, Felix bit his lip.

 _No, there's no way you could ever face all that...its better to just wait here and-and..._

A sudden jolt rippled through the corgi's brain, a jolt so strong it almost physically caused his heart to explode.

 _No...I can't..._

 _I can't - we can't- afford to 'just wait'..._

Felix quickly realized that he couldn't just wait here and let his colleague -no, dare he say...his _friend_ get killed by some savage mutated creatures.

He couldn't just wait here and let his pet shop close down.

He couldn't just reject what he demanding instincts were telling him to do. He couldn't just swallow or force back what his demanding thinking was egging him on to do.

Felix the corgi couldn't just hide and shake in fear and watch the pet shop to get broken into...

As he had all those months ago.

 _No, now is time to stop shakin' and stand up!_ The corgi plainly told himself, his heart pounding incredibly hard. _To fight back and defend my rights and those whom I love! I **have** to at this point- there's no other choice..._

Even if it meant the corgi had to leave the safety of the pet shop... the safety of Mr.Litwak's arms... for a while, if not for the next two days or longer in order to get Ralph back to the pet shop alive...

Even if the corgi was putting his own life at risk...or even if he had no idea what was in store for him...

Others were depending on Felix- and he just couldn't bare let them down.

Sitting up in his cozy bed, Felix straightened his tiny back as straight as a pole. A look of clear, strong, unafraid determination was in his eyes.

He looked up and set his eyes on the front door, on the "Closed" sign just in the window for the outside world to see...and knew what he had to do.

Just how he was going to do it, Felix had no real clue...but that he had to do it nonetheless.

Now was the time to be the good dog and friend everyone thought Felix was...and to have just an ounce of courage and heroicness that Ralph obviously had.


	39. Chapter 38: Ready, Rookie?

**Chapter 38:** **Ready, Rookie?...**

As he continued to gallop down the hallway after the group of police dogs ahead of him, Ralph was somehow able to briefly look over his shoulder...to see every one of the multated scorpions, hundreds of them, had flown out the doors and was following the troop down the dark hallway as well.

His heart feeling like it could burst from the physical pushing and adrenalin, the bull mastiff lightly tripped over his own huge paws a few times - but somehow didn't actually stumble and fall. He tried to stare straight ahead at the faint cluster of canine tails he could just make out a few hundred yards in front of him, forcing himself to focus on them and not the terrifiying, near deafening buzz that was looming now just above him.

He was starting to feel dizzy, however, when the lights in the corridor overhead began to flicker repetitiously on and off, hopefully lumatining the group of tails and the ground in front of him for a moment, then off it went again...before blinking back on again. The light short circuiting seemed to make the whole chase that much more difficult and terrifiying -something appearing like right out of a horror movie.

Every dog was happy with the lights finally blinked on for a final time and provided light constantly for them as the racing continued.

Sergeant Calhoun, the leader the group of the police dogs around her not too far ahead of Ralph, continued to stride down the hallway, her own chest pounding. She looked over her shoulder for a mere second...and was one of the first in her group to realize that the creatures were indeed following them.

She was horrified to see that hundreds of the scorpions were forming a threating brown cloud behind them, hunting them down as they had in the first place. But her fear increase even more when she saw in that same split second that they were starting to gain speed right above an unknowing Ralph.

In that moment, she knew had to do something.

Sure, she knew -and was still ticked- that no, he wasn't a real cop dog, let alone a Captain. And yes, he had outright lied to her and her troop. There were so many questions she needed him to answer: Who _really_ was he? Where'd he get Markowski's vest? Why did he lie to them all?

Why was he so interested in her collar?

But Calhoun knew that, despite all those unanswered question, Ralph _was_ still an animal that, despite his lies, still didn't deserve to die from a scorpion sting.

No one did.

He, maybe not _deserve_ it, but still _needed_ protection. And it was her duty to temporarily push aside any personal conflicts she may have and provide that protection for any one in need.

Besides, she wanted him to live long enough to get the needed answers to her questions.

"Ralph, ducked!" The Sergeant screeched to the bull mastiff behind her before turning her focus back on the ground in front of her.

When Ralph looked up, he saw just in time that a winged scorpion with an impressive sized stinger try to dive bomb him. But amazingly, he was somehow able to swing his whole body to the left, avoiding the creatures stinger altogether. The stinger, and creature attached to it, smashed into the floor - but instead of dying, it hit the ground with a force so strong that it crack the tile floor and got its stinger stuck inside it.

"Nice, Rookie!" Ralph was shocked to hear Calhoun call to him, sounding slightly impressed. "Now gain a little bit more speed and _don't die!"_

Now even more surprised, -yet, strangely determined and inspired- Ralph forced his large feet to keep going, one huge paw in front of the other, only in a faster notion. His head and empty neck bobbed forward and back, pushing his body harder and harder...

And he was shocked to peered over his shoulder to see the creatures were now ever so slightly further behind him.

Turning his attention back to the area ahead of him, he stumbled a little, but but manged to not trip on his feet as he continued galloping after the pack of pooches just ahead of him. He was starting to gain on them...and slowly, carefully was getting ahead to the looming, threatening scorpions.

Now just a little ways ahead of Ralph, Calhoun realized, now that the lights were permanently on, that they all were passing several hospital room doors as they sprinted down the long hallway, too many for her to even subconsciously count. She thought about darting into the first open door they came to, but realized that it was best just to keep straight down...the _opened area_ hallway... and try to outrun the flying scorpions the best they all could, especially now that the hallway was providing them light...

But that was before she realized they were quickly running out of hallway.

The corridor reared to an end and curved to the right, leading to yet another hallway, although it was unknown in length since the light overhead down it were permanently turned off.

Calhoun temporarily paused in her graceful racing to adjust and lean her body to the left with great grace and agility. The pack around her did the same, clearing the corner with ease despite it being so sharp.

Ralph, however, wasn't so graceful.

He looked ahead just in time to see the hallway curved, and tried to slow down in his speed in order to make such a turn. But being a whopping 143 pounds and at moving at a hurling speed made it a little hard to slow down. Instead, he ended up skidding and slammed his brood shoulder into the far wall, with a force so strong it caused a slight crack in the wall.

Fortunately, Ralph was enough ahead of the flying scorpions to take a short second of shake off the crash. He quickly recovered and darted blindly after the fellow dogs somewhere ahead of him. The scorpions behind him hovered around the corner and raced after them as well.

The sharp turn and dark hallway quickly lead the group of animals to a large door... and to their horror, the door that was shut tight. Calhoun and the others immediately skidded to a stop right in front of it, peering up at the door in pure panic at the fact that it was completely shut.

Hearing the loud, bone chilling buzz behind her, Calhoun knew that there would be no way that her and her troop could fight off the all creatures; there were far too many of them...in a far _too small, confined_ _space..._

The group was trapped...as all too real danger loomed behind them and was now getting closer and closer ...

At the thought and realization, Calhoun pressed her ears down against her head and sucked in a sharp breath as slight panic seized her...and as her mind threatened to flashed back to...to...

 _No, we can't be trapped! _She mentally screamed at herself. _No! No way am I going to allow us to die right here._

She snapped her ears back to the top of her head and shook her head, her signature scowl back on her face.

Whether they were trapped in a small, _near-claustrophobic area_ or not...no, Calhoun wouldn't let her mind go there. Not now.

The firece Doberman Pinscher had _not_ lead her troop -and even the tag-along Ralph- this far just to...die by scorpions right there before a closed door.


	40. Chapter 39: Let's Find Out

**Chapter 39: ...Let's find Out**

With the others in suit, Calhoun began the desperate task of scratching near the base of the door, all of them whining frantically and slightly without thinking.

She dug her claws into the door as hard as she could in a repetitious motion, silently begging for the door to open.

After a mere few seconds of digging, however, Calhoun knew it was pointless. It was locked and shut tight, no way of entering it. There would be no way that she or her troop, despite as well trained and strong as they were, could dig open the open.

Or break matter a hole through it, for that matter.

Except for...

Getting an sudden idea, Calhoun turned and was about to order Ralph, still a little ways behind them, use his ginormous paws and obvious near wall- crushing weight to crack open the door.

But Ralph had been so busy looking over his shoulders at the scorpions that he hadn't even noticed that the group of dogs were at a halt in front of the door. By the time he noticed, it was too late to stop...or to even think.

He tried to skid to a stop, but ended up crashing into a baffled Calhoun and the others instead like a huge bowling to a bunch of pins ...which forced a large, splintered hole in the door under the pressure.

The dogs all laid in a dog pile for a moment, a little too confused and dizzy to stand up. Above them, the scorpions suddenly -and surprisingly- abandoned their chase of the dogs and instead flew and filed into the wide room in front of them.

Most nonchalantly landed in groups on clusters on the ground, seeming to be exhausted from their flying and chasing. Some scurried around pointlessly in the room; others, thankfully most, pulled their legs and wings under them..and were somehow asleep within seconds, their glowing back now fading.

The large dog pile straddling between the dark hallway and the dark room quickly began to separated as Calhoun stood up, shaking her head roughly. Still a little in lightheaded from the fall, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkest in the room before... causing her to see in utter horror that the room contained a surprisingly very quiet and horrified... group of _people_ that had been huddled in a corner of the large room.

The humans -the patients, the staff- had all congregated in the single largest room in the hospital to be protected from the scorpions before the firefighters were able to rescue them, at the command of the emergency crew outside.

The people, once safe from multated scorpions but now so open and exposed to them, shook violently as they eyed the now mostly inactive multated scorpions. They fortunately somehow able to remain inaudible and unnoticed by the few still awake creations, scurrying around.

But their faces...they _pained_ Calhoun at how scarred they were.

"Look! The patients are in here!" she quietly told the other police dogs quickly, grabbing her colleagues' attention. "We found them." She carefully took a few step forward, right before being gently biten on the tail by Maddox.

"Wait!" the small german shepherd, still hunched down, whispered to the sergeant. "We've found the _scorpions!_ I thought we were supposed to report back to Officer Croft and lead her to them!"

"Yeah, not lead the multated scorpions _straight to the people inside!"_ Calhoun turned and growl-whispered to her, a scowl on her face. "It's too late to try and get the officers involved- these people could all _die_ by the time we'd get the officers here.We can't just leave these people to die! People's lives are directly involved now! "

Mac gasped as he stood up. "Are you saying that we have to go _against_ the commands of the officers?!"

The other police gasped as well, unable to process that their leader, their _sergeant_ , was going A-WOL.

Calhoun huffed sliently and somberly as she eyed the still shaking people cowarding in the corner . "Look, if you pussycats want to run back to the officers, then fine. Go. But _I'm_ going to stay here with these people, defend them in case the scorpions decide toattack, and make sure these folk get out alive...even if I don't."

Clear she was done discussing the matter, Calhoun carefully step out even further out of the door frame and began the tedious task of getting closer and closer to the scarred group of humans...without waking or disturbing the multated scroptions surrounding her.

The other police pooches eyed each other in uncertainty, but slowly began following her, mimicking her every move.

"Why don't we send _one_ of us back to get the officers?" Maddox suggested in an undertone. "Then at least the officers can find us and help us!"

Calhoun paused midstep, one of her front paws held in the air. A smirk planted on her face, she eyed the pup beside her. "Good idea, puppy. You'll make a good sergeant one day."

As Maddox took a mintues to glow in disbelief at the rare kind compliment from her leader, Calhoun knew immediately who she was going to send to get the human officers.

The only one of them who was untrained in dealing with multated scorpions.

"Ralph!" she called over to the bull mastiff without turning around to see where he was. "You go back and lead the officers here, STAT!" And without waiting for an answer, she and her troop kept walking, carefully making their way through the sea of scorpions.

But Ralph, still laying in the door frame of the broken door, couldn't respond. In fact, he couldn't _move._ Not one inch.

He was frozen, his ears allowing everything being said -by Calhoun, by Maddox, by _everything-_ to flow from one ear out the other as his eyes were glued up at the broken wood that hung above him.

Because on that one piece of splintered wood... hung Calhoun's good dog collar, unclipped from around her neck and placed uncannily right by Ralph's head.


	41. Chapter 40: The Attempted Escape- Part 1

**Chapter 40:** **The (Attempted) Escape** **-Part 1**

 **(A/N: When I chose to use scorpions as AU Cy-Bugs, I did so thinking scorpions lay eggs. Well, surprise surprise, they don't - of course / Xo So I'm just hoping everyone goes with this and the next chapter- and to remember these _are_ multated scorpions as well lol ;) )**

He couldn't tell if it was fate, coincidence, or a mere temptation that Calhoun's collar had come off. Or that she hadn't even noticed that it had. Or that it had hung directly above his nose, nearly begging him to take it.

But Ralph honestly didn't care.

The good dog collar, _his_ good dog collar, was there...and he only needed to peer up at it a split second longer to decide what he wanted -and needed- to do.

-O-O-O-O-O-

His lungs still burning from running earlier, Ralph quickly back out of the dark hallway and carefully made his way around the sharp corner leading to the other hallway- somehow without skidding and running into the wall in the process.

He quickly tip toed down the first hallway the group had gone down at the beginning of the chase, suppressing the urge to run faster and draw unneeded attention by his heavy footsteps.

Maybe it was his conscience bothering him, or the nagging feeling he was being watched, but Ralph couldn't help but keep involuntarily peering over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him.

Calhoun's command to get help and lead the officers to the group of scarred people mentally screamed at him, reprimanding him for just abandoning them. Her screaming was enough of a distraction to the bull mastiff that he tripped and nearly landed flat on his face.

 _Oh, I can barrel down the hallway without tripping, but I can't merely tip toe without falling? Figures,_ he growled mentally as he picked himself back up.

Ralph figured he deserved the ill timed, nearly painful fall...and his imaginary scolding, however, what with him out rightly abandoning the police dogs and not getting them any help and all.

Well, all that, _and_ he had manage to steal Calhoun's collar in the process.

As he continued his attempts to tip toe, the dog's mind started to wonder...to the looks of the scarred group of people huddled in the room now _filled_ with flying scorpions...to the people outside, waiting for the dogs to return to show them where the scorpions were so that the fire fighters coulf go in and save their loved ones...to the look of determination and heroicness on the other dogs faces...to the possible look on Calhoun's face if she ever found out Ralph had stole her well-earned collar...

Ralph quickly shook all such thinking off.

He _wasn't trained_ to help those people! He was not even supposed to be on the force of Hero's Duty, anyways!

And he wasn't a "hero"- well, _now_ he was, with Calhoun's good dog collar being his. He was now a good dog _and_ a hero, as far as he was concerned.

With or without helping those innocent people, inside and outside the hospital... the others dogs coukd help those people, especially with Calhoun leading them.

And sure, Calhoun _would_ eventually figure out that her collar was missing...but there'd be no way for her to know that it was _Ralph_ was the one for sure that had taken it. And even if she _did_ figure it out, he'd be long gone by then...

Back at his snug little petshop...in a brand new bed and all the duck flavored treats he could eat...with newfound respect from Mr.Litwak...from Felix...from _Gene..._

And all in less than 24 hours.

Ralph felt himself smirk despite having the collar in his mouth.

Sure, he still felt a little guilty for fleeing the scene...but the pending look on Gene's face when he came strolling up with that good dog collar was enough to corrode that guilt away.

Yes, things were _finally_ going his way! He just had to...get out of the building as soon as possible..and _alive_.

The army green, camouflaged collar hanging safely in his mouth, the determined bull mastiff tried to remember which door he and the others had come through in the first place. He pasted many of them, all of them still closed- thankfully indicating that they weren't the one.

At one point in walking down the long stretch of hallway Ralph realized he was now coming up to several doors that were open...yet none of them felt like the right one. They all, like the hallway they connected to, had their lights on; the first room he had exited had had it's light _off._

 _It could've flickered back on, though, Ralph..._ the dog reasoned with himself as he leaned in to one particularly lit up room with an ajar door. He took a deep breath, trying to retrace in his mind if this room smelled familiar as he stared blankly out the room's glass window...

...When he heard a now all-too familiar hiss.

Ralph flipped his head quickly to see a multated scorpion had coming crawling out from behind a flipped over, abandoned hospital bed. The creation hissed at him threateningly, even more so than any other the others had before.

The bull mastiff quickly backed away. "H-Hey, hey, little buddy...I'm not gonna hurt you...I'm just leaving now ok...?" He was nearly cut short when several scorpions appeared as well, hissing viciously towards him.

They were about to fly towards him when a loud clash was heard, followed by the sound of a glass window breaking.

Ralph -and the scorpions- peered up to see a fire fighter appeared at the now broken window in the room. The man was decked from head to toe with his fire fighting gear on, plus a few extra peculiar gear to protect himself from the scorpions, Ralph guessed.

"Hey!" a voice belonging to the man shouted. "I found some of the scorpions! Kill the lights in Room 105, Luigi!"

Ralph ducked back into the hallway, yet remained close enough to peer into the room so he could see what they were about to do. Although the room now had no light, the sun windowstreaming through the window provided enough light for him to see what exactly was happening.

The scorpions hissed up at the man outside the window right before a sudden rush of water from a hose was heard, then it finally shot into Ralph's view as it hit one multated scorpion hard.

Ralph watched as the creature shook violently for a moment before the spots on its back and its eyes turned from green to a deathly, almost hypnotized blue. The scorpion buckled to the ground, continuing to get blasted with water until it slowly stop shaking all together and the blue glowing faded.

As the creature laid dead on the floor, the stream of water was directed towards the other scorpions, all now screeching in protest as they tried to frantically escape the blast. Some even tried to fly up and away, but were lowered to the floor as the water aided at them slowly killed off their strength to fly.

Slowly, one by one, the creatures all lost their glow and laid completely still- all within a few seconds of being sprayed.

"Alright, that's all of them in here!" The fire fighter called out towards one of the others outside. "No sign of any other life in here, either. Let's move on to the next room, boys!"

Once all was quiet again, Ralph cautiously stepped into the room again. He eyed the scorpions on the ground, and saw that as they laid still in a shallow puddle of water, Calhoun's words were true.

Water was a fast way to kill these monsters quickly.

Ralph peered over at the broken window, and realized that if the post was clear, he could jump up and crawl through it and make his escape that way. He watchfully creeped into the room, and was ignoring the fact that his feet were getting wet when a bright green glow flashing brightly suddenly caught him off guard and made him jump.

He nearly collided with the far wall as he back as far as he could from the glowing, which he quickly realized was coming behind the flipped over hospital bed.

 _But water is leaking over there, too_ , Ralph thought as he shook. _Shouldn't it be killing the scorpions back there as well?_

The caution curiosity getting the better of him, Ralph made his over to the bed and peered around it...and his jaw almost hit the floor when he realized that the glow was going from a sea of pea-sized round scorpions eggs.


	42. Chapter 41: The Attempted Escape- Part 2

**Chapter 41:** **The (Attempted) Escape- Part 2**

Ralph was so startled by the glowing eggs in front of him that he yelped, dropped his collar, jumped back in alarm...and managed to knock right into the hospital bed laying on it's side.

The bed was flipped upright with the force Ralph accidentally imposed on it. It teetered for a moment, threatening to land back on one of its sides when it finally came to rest back on all four legs with a loud clash.

The eggs, once held together by the bed that once acted like a barrcade for them and the outside world, now went rolling all over the floor...including right into the puddling water.

Ralph was shocked to see that most of the eggs continued to glow, completely undisturbed and unaffected by the water they were now in.

Upon landing, one egg began to glow rapidly faster and faster right before it started to hatch, resulting in a little tiny multated scorpion to come emerging from the shell. The creature laid tiny -and almost, dare Ralph say, _cutely?_ \- for a moment as it looked blankly around...and, to Ralph's horror, with seconds it doubled, then _tripled_ in size.

It started to crawl off it's now tiny in comparison egg shell, and unknowingly slipped right into a pool of water. The creature, as it's adult protégés had been, was instantly crippled as it fell head first into the water...and gradually lost its glow and died seconds later.

Ralph peered at the creature, his mind racing. _So...the water kills the hatched scorpions and when they're adults, but it doesn't affect the eggs in any way? That's a bunch of malarkey right there!_

His eyes danced around the room...to see that the eggs were everywhere and that they were now in the path of the window Ralph needed to get to.

 _Aye, aye-aye, you really had to go and flip that table over, didn't ya Ralph?!_ the bull mastiff screamed at himself. _Now you've got to avoid stepping on these guys to get over to the window!!_

Shaking his head in annoyance, Ralph sighed begrudgingly as he was about to scoop up his collar again when he realized that an egg had rolled right onto it.

Rolling his eyes, Ralph tried to blow the egg off, but it clung to the collar. Giving up in his blowing, the dog finally just decided to pick up the collar and that then the egg would fall off.

Instead, the egg continued to stick as he picked the collar...and continued to cling to it without his knowledge.

Ralph stood up as far was he could on his tip toes once again as he carefully eyed down at the floor in front of him. He swung and dodged and maneuvered the best he could around the eggs, a feat that much more challenging with having such large paws and now that the floor was wet with water.

Somehow, he able to avoid stepping on any of the eggs as he approached the window. He turned back and smiled in pride with the collar in his mouth.

 _Hey, maybe I could be a police dog one day, _he thought smuggly to himself as he raised up to place his paws on the window sill. He examined the scene just outside to see if any of the humans were around.

Seeing there were none and that now was his time to make a break for it, Ralph was about to jump through the window when he looked down at the collar clutched safely in his mouth...and that the end of it had a freshly hatched multated scorpion.

The creature turned to stare up at Ralph and scampered up the collar- and right onto Ralph's nose.

Ralph yelped and stumbled backwards...right into a small cluster of scorpion eggs. The eggs hatched immediately at being stepped on, and hissed at the giant foot that forced them from their sleep.

Ralph shook his head hard, trying to get the growing creature off his nose- or to at least prevent it from biting him square between the eyes.

His shaking only caused the creature to cling on to him for dear life as the dog continued to stumble around, stepping on yet more and more eggs, causing more and more of them to hatch.

Ralph forced himself to stop shaking his head, his brain getting way too jostled around as he panted for a split moment. Before he knew it, all he could hear was the angry growling of hundreds of baby scorpions at his feet- and all he could see was a now big scorpion still clinging to the fur on his nose.

He knew immediately what he needed to do.

Ralph desperately turned his head enough so he could see the windowand to get an estimate on where exactly it was...and blindly sprung diagonally into the air.


	43. Chapter 42: The Hunter

**Chapter 42:** **The** **Hunter**

"Where in the name of Boxers is Ralph?!" Macro hissed for over the tenth time as he scratched his golden furred ears in frustration.

Mac rolled his eyes that were as dark as his fur coat. "He's probably not coming back, that coward of a mutt!"

"Give him time, guys!" Little Maddox called out optimistically from her place by a young nurse, who was cradling a crying baby. "He'll come back! I know he will."

Calhoun, laying down by a little sick boy who was gently stroking her head in order to calm down, quietly sighed. "He _better,_ pup."

She turned to the right of her to see the patients, doctors and nurses, and various of kinds of humans, were still hundled together, as close as they could possibly be to the corner. And to her left, were the mostly inactive scorpions.

Most of the scorpions were still at rest, thankfully, but the others were still scurrying around, up every wall and in pretty much every place in between. They mostly and fortunately left the unnoticed people and pooches alone- not that that matter much. The dogs were ready and positioned to protect any of the people if the time called for it.

The group of police dogs sat in a large, half circle of sorts around the people, forming a protective barrier between them and the multated scorpions at bay all around them, shielding the humans if need be.

The people inside the protective barricade were mostly calm, now comforted with the police dogs there to pet and guard them. Their shaking had lessened now, but it was still holding on to the possible fear of the multated scorpions being disturbed or at being noticed by the deathly creatures.

The little boy beside Calhoun stifled a weak cough and pulled his legs into his hospital gown, shivering slightly. Calhoun wiggled a little closer to him and laid her head up on his knees.

The child smiled slightly and rubbed her head gently, causing Calhoun to close her eyes briefly. Getting stroked by a child always proved to calm, not only the child down, but also helped _her_ as well.

She allowed his hands to run smoothly down the back of her neck, onto her police vest-

And that was when Calhoun first noticed it.

There was nothing around her neck.

She bolted to sit up straight and pulled her head back so sharply it almost caused a crook in her neck.

No, she was just so stiff for all the recent tension that she just couldn't feel her good dog collar around her neck anymore.

She had to be mistaken...she still had her collar on. Didn't she?

But when Calhoun looked down and couldn't see the slight glow of the multated scorpions' neon spots reflecting off her shiny tags, she knew she wasn't mistaken.

Her collar- her well-earned collar- was gone from her neck.

 _It must've snapped off somewhere,_ she thought, _somewhere by the broken door. It's probably still over there now...at least, it better be..._

Her eyes flashed in possible steam right before they narrowed.

"Maddox, scoot over this way a little more," she commanded to the pup closest to her. "I've got to check something real quick."

As the small german shepherd complied, Sergeant Calhoun then carefully made her way over to broken, splintered door was, using her agility and slender body to slip around many glowing scorpions without disturbing one.

As she examined the area by the door, the glow of scorpions provided her enough light to see that her collar was no where in sight.

She sniffed the splintered wood of the door, one particular large chuck indeed containing traces of her collar...and Ralph's distinct mutt smell.

Calhoun narrowed her eyes as her ears flattened up against her head in anger at a sudden thought.

 _He was so fascinated by my collar for some reason...and now that it's off my neck..._

 _No...he wouldn't be dumb enough to actually do that, would he?_

She shook her head, small ears slapping her face with great force.

 _He's dumb enough to try and sneak onto a police force and to lie -to ME- about being a Captain of Sugar Russia's K-9 Unit, remember. .._

 _That fraud must be indeed dumb enough to even try and steal my collar from me as well...and to probably abandoned us to die here as well._

Calhoun could physically fill her eyes harden.

She could deal with her good dog collar being stolen; she could just gain another one after this mission was over, as she had several times before when it snapped off and was losted during a mission.

What she _couldn't_ handle, however, was the absolute disloyalty he was displaying...not only towards her and her troops, but to these innocent people as was.

Ralph wasn't coming back...he had stolen her collar for whatever reason and took off with it, making her feel sick in her stomach.

And the very fact that that Ralph mutt found the mere fabric necklace for a dog as more important than the very lives of others\- it made Calhoun madder and hotter than a disturbed hornets nest on an August day at noon.

The disloyalty...the selfishness...the sheer ridiculous thought that he could _actually_ get away with something like that right under the nose of a well-trained sergeant...

It was too much for Calhoun to swallow or ignore.

She had somewhat forgiven the mastiff for lying to her and the troop to sneak on the force somehow, given her fullfilled his duty to retreat back to the officers and lead them to where her and the other dogs remained...but now...

That mastiff needed to pay for he did...and Calhoun was _personally_ going to make sure that he did.

Eyes flashing red with sheer murder, the sergeant flipped her head around towards the others.

"Maddox, come with me. We're going on our own missions," she called softly and calmly as she slipped carefully underneath the shreds of wood of the door into the dark hallway.

"But what about the others?...and the people?...and the scorpions?" Maddox asked as she carefully stepped over the creatures as she approached her leader.

"You worry too much," Calhoun groaned outloud to her as she rolled her eyes. "The others and the people we'll be fine as long as nothing disturbs the scorpions...and they'll _all_ be fine, long enough for you to get the people and lead them back in time and as fast as you can. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The pup answered softly as she slipped through the door as well, her one floppy ear grazing the splintered wood as she met Calhoun at the end of the short hallway. "But...may I ask just _one_ more question, ma'am? If _I'm_ getting the officers,...then what's _your_ mission?..."

The two dogs stood still for a brief moment before Calhoun took off in an all out sprint, quickly followed in suit by Maddox right before the doberman growled her answer over her shoulder while staring determinedly ahead of her.

"I've got a bull mastiff to kill!"

-O-O-O-O-

As she quickly retraced her steps down the hallway and into the waiting room, Calhoun's mind was still reeling over finding -and near killing- Ralph. She made her way around the chairs and the large desk, growling with renewed anger when the bull mastiff's scent was picked up by her highly trained nose...but was quickly was frustrated when none of the smells she was picking up were a fresh scent from him.

She abandoned sniffing the waiting room desk and chairs and switched to sniff the baseboards the dark room, mumbling when they too proved to be unhelpful.

A sudden clash heard in the room startled her, causing her to freeze up on the stop. Her head and ears turned towards the source of the sound, Calhoun knew immediately it must be a stray scorpion.

Her eyes narrowed as far as she could make them so she could see better, the doberman cautiously made her way over to a group of waiting chairs, where the source of the sound had come from.

A sudden movement, followed by another clash and yelp of the creature before her made Calhoun freeze again. She watched as the animal of sorts flipped around and tried to frantically get away from the object that it crashed into, but only ended up bumping into another object, causing the creature to trip and fall.

Taking a deep smell, Calhoun realized that whatever that creature was, it was no scorpion.

She cautiously crawled closer and closer to it, unafraid of whatever it was lurking in the dark for her. Her eyes never left it as the animal before her picked itself up off the ground and blindly shook it's head gently.

Once she was in pouncing distance, the sergeant fixed her eyes on the now still creature ...and leaped, sharp, front paws first as she dove towards the creature and attacked it dead on.

The creature yelp as it slightly grazed past the chairs and hit the ground hard all of a sudden, desperately squirming as it tried to escape the pinning of the animal on top of it's throat...

when the lights in the room suddenly flickered back on.

Sergeant blinked down at the animal beneath her paws to clearly see just what exactly the creature was for the first time...

And came face-to-face with the biggest, bluest, more scared corgi eyes she had ever seen.


	44. Chapter 43: The Hunted

**Chapter** **43: The Hunted**

As he frantically sailed into the air towards the window with a multated scorpion still perched on top of his nose, Ralph could only pray that his decision to jump was the right one and would not end up with him slaming face-first into a wall...

And he couldn't believe it when he realized that, not only was he _continu_ _ing_ to sail through the air, but also that he was actally _going to make it_ _through_ the window.

Surrounding the scorpion on his nose, there was suddenly light from the now overhead sun, the smell of fresh air filling Ralph's nose as his front paws and long, extended arms, along with his big, bulky head cleared the cracked open window ..

He couldn't believe it! He was almost half-way through the window!...

When his large midsection decided to get stuck in the side frames of the window sill, jerking him back suddenly and getting him even more wedged into place.

Ralph squrimed as hard and furious as he could possibly muster, but his fat torso didn't even budge in the slightest. He suddenly could hear the hissing of the scorpions just behind him and inside below him, scampering closer to his dangling back end.

Ralph began to desperately flailed even harder to try and finish sliding through the window. The short, broken glass that clung to the side frame of the window began to cut and stab into his sides with his wiggling, causing him stabs of pain as he pushed as hard as he could against the outside wall with his fronts paws.

An abrupt _rrrri_ _iippp_ was heard and felt against Ralph's fur and skin. Ralph turned his head enough to see that the police vest he had on was now ripping at the seams at being stretched and pulled to its' already exceeded limit.

Finally, a small _pop_ rang out, and all at once the sharred glass gave way and broke sideways at the pressure of Ralph's body... causing the bull matiff to finish his less-than-clumsy descent through the window and land on the grass outside with a hard-hitting _thump_.

Stumbling up to his feet, Ralph shook his head to clear it from the fuzz the crash to the ground had caused...and felt it was now suddenly way harder to lift up his snout. Opening his slightly blurry eyes, he could see the scorpion that had attached itself to his nose was now almost too big for his nose to hold up and was still clinging stubbornly to it.

Renewed with rage and annoyance, Ralph shook his head even harder as he stumbled around, once again trying his best to free his nose the creature on it.

The deep, stinging, sharp scratches the animal was causing on him from being attached for so long was starting to be annoying...especially with the present fear that the creature could give him a sting that would no doubt kill him right then and there if it wanted to...

Suddenly, a profound fact struck Ralph's mind like a ton of brinks.

The scorpion- despite the fact that it had grown more than the length of Ralph's snout and triple the weight.. despite that it had been jostled and jerked and waved around by Ralph's head- hadn't stung him with it's stinger- or even attemped to do so the entire time it was atop his nose.

 _Why in the world hasn't this thing stung me already?_ he mused to himself as he tried to comprehend the mystery of it all, although relief that the creature hadn't decided to sting him...yet.

The creature atop his nose offered no such help but a hissing in Ralph's face and a slight sharper pinch of its legs into his snout, causing Ralph to cringe.

 _I gotta get this stupid thing off my face..before it does decide to sting me._

Mustling up as much strengh as he could, Ralph lifted his snout as high as he could and shook his head -so violently back and forth that caused the good dog collar, still in his mouth, to whip hard against his head, the tags on it striking his temples like a hurling stone.

Shocking himself at just how strong both his neck and brain were to hold up to such a forceful, strong jerk, Ralph found that his jolting had did nothing but accomplish making himself even more dizzy.

The scorpion staying put on his nose, the bull mastiff stood flustered for a moment as he panted exhastedly...and found that it was now suddenly way easier to breath.

Side eyeing the grass ground around him, Ralph saw that the police vest he once wore was no longer squeezing his sides and chest tightly, and was now in a puddle of blue and yellow heap in the grass.

Deciding he didn't really need it anymore, Ralph ignored the broken vest and, with his good dog collar still clutched safely in his mouth, bumbled and tripped away from the hospital building itself. Broken glass from muliple windows laid sprinkled at his feet, cutting his not-so-small paws occasionally as he walked on.

As he tripped over his feet, Ralph realized there was no one around him. He could hear distant voices and sirens sounding like they were coming from the front of the buliding- but there were no signs of any people or animals on the side of the buliding he was on, not even an occasional firemen busting out a widow further down.

His mind tripping around as much as he was, Ralph stumbled blindly over something metal and found himself on an makeshift incline and moving recklessly up what felt like a ramp.

Under his feet was a ground that felt familiar and yet different at the same time to the mastiff...followed by the unsettling smell of people and medicine extremely close by.

A bright, iridescent light now filled his side and top vision, reminding him of the flickering lights just inside the buliding he had just fled from.

Suddenly, the creature on Ralph's nose captured his full attention as it threaningly inched closer and closer towards his eyes, its' own still glowing a neon green. It growled violently, looking as if it was about to attack the space right between his eyes...when suddenly, it didn't.

The creature stopped hissing, stopped digging its legs into Ralph's nose, stopped even _growing_ \- the creature stopped everything. Its' hissing mouth now just hung permanently open, somehow giving off a feeling of being hypnotized or made utterly inactive. It was as if someone had paused it in the middle of its attack as it stared blankly into Ralph's eyes.

Ralph stared as the creature's eyes suddenly fading from neon green into a pale, flickering blue color... and as they slowly, repetitiously blinked blankly at him as well.

 _What is wrong with this scorpion? _Ralph thought in fear, growing more and more unsettled by the moment. _First, it had no interest in stinging me...now it's not moving, and its' eyes are glowing all weird..._

But his mind trailed off as he side eyeing the metal, almost mirror-like walls around him...and as he felt his jaw almost hit the floor on the now apparent automotive he was in.

In the reflection, Ralph could see that this scorpion on his nose had multated -even hatched, perhaps- to _have_ no stinger. All that was there was a large stump of a tail where the stinger naturally would be...making the creature, although still frightful, utterly defensless in attack.

The second he realized that, Ralph felt his racing heart begin to slow down. The desperate attempt to get the creature off his nose because of the fear of being stung now wasn't so desperate. With it having no stinger in the first place, the creature wasn't so scarry or threatening- especially now that it had seemed to have slumped into a state of bearly being alive anymore.

Looking past the still stupefied scorpion, Ralph took a moment to take in his surroundings. He could just barely see around the scorpion that he was sandwiched in between...what looked like a drop-leged stretcher to his left and a foward facing paramedic seat to his right...

At that, Ralph jumped. He now knew in horror exactly was he had stumbled in suddenly.

Hs was in the back of an ambulance, which was sitting with it rear doors opened and ready to load anyone needing care and raced them to the next nearest hospital in the state.

And the bull mastiff also knew just as fast that he neeeded to get out of the emergency vehicle immediately.

Not wanting to disturb the non-conscious scorpion, Ralph catiously and slowly backed up..and had almost back up to the top of the ramp when he felt and heard the shutting of the rear doors of the vehicle loudly behind him, followed by distant, slightly distorted voices.

Ralph started slightly in horror, only to bump right into the now shut ambulence rear doors- confirming for that it was indeed now shut tightly with no was of escaping.

In the sudden panic of now being trapped inside the vehicle, Ralph haphazardly jumped forward in suprise...and ended up bumping right into a human unnoticely standing in front of him in the vehicle.

Looking up as far as he could over the still frozen scorpion, the mastiff watched in absolute fear as the woman he had bumped into flipped around...to see him with a giantic multated scorpion on his snout.

"AaAGH!" The woman's voice cried out as Ralph could tell she was backing away, her loud screech stinging his earsdrums. "There's a mulated scorpion ON A DOG'S FACE BACK HERE, DAISY!"

The woman behind the wheel, whom Ralph presumed was Daisy, jumped in rely.

"What?! How'd that dog even _get in_ here?!!" She screeched to her colleague.

"H-how should I know?" the woman in front of Ralph replied. "I'll I know I-I just turned around and saw him like this! We've better get him out of here and to the Sugar Russia's Animal Hospital as fast as possible and try to get that thing off his face! Step on it, Daisy!"

"On it!" the woman in the front of the emergency car called dutifully from behind the wheel.

 _Wait?_ Ralph yipped in panic in his mind. _Why in the world would this people ambulance transport me to another-_

Ralph's eyes wided as he looked straight up above the woman's head...and saw that a large headboard had the words _Sugar Russia's Best_ _Animal Hospital_ _Emergency Vehicle_ proudly printed on it.

Gulping, the mastiff felt himself backed up in denial further and further towards the rear doors of the car. But there was no denying it.

Of course he wasn't trapped in just any ambulence.

Of course he had to be in an specialized animal-hospital ambulence, one that transported animals in need -say, ones who were supposed attacked by multated scorpions- to animal hospitals.

And he was, not only trapped inside it with no way out with a bezarre, abormal acting multated scorpion on his face, but was now being going to be transported to another hospital.

In an another entirely different town.

 _Just great_ , Ralph thought distraughtly as he plastered himself up against the doors, rasing one paw and hugging it to his chest as he did. _Of course I had to stumble blindly into some dumb animal emergency vehicle with this stupid scorpion on my face._

He could barely hear the woman behind the wheel as she rolled down the window at her left and called out: "We've got a dog attacked by a multated scropion with us! Out of the way!"

The sound of the vehicle rivving up caused a chill to run down Ralph's back... right before he was suddenly tossed forward, nearly crashing involuntarily into the woman in front of him as the vehicle began to drive to the end of the parkinglot in a mad dash.

The mastiff had just found his footing when he was suddenly skidded to his left as the woman she turned left out of the parkinglot, the tires screeching loudly

with the sirens blarred over head.

Ralph skidded to the far right, nearly ramming his side into the wall of the vehicle as it made a sharp right. He had bearly recovered from that when the car made another quick, sharp turn to the left almost immediately, sending him nearly flying back to the left of the vehicle.

With not much room left in the ambluence, Ralph crashed into the drop-legged strecher, almost dropping his good dog collar from his mouth in the process.

"Is it a police dog, Peach?!" the woman driving called loudly, in some way being heard over the loud emegereny sirens.

The woman, Peach, in front of him somehow was able to kneal down and gently grab onto Ralph's sides to stable him from the other woman's crazy driving.

"He's got no K-9 police vest on or anything...," she finally answered the driver after a quick examination of the animal- and its tag-along scorpion companion. Ralph was shocked to see she had somehow manage to put gloves despite the other woman's crazy driving.

"He must've somehow got stuck in the cross hairs of all the action at the hospital and got attacked by a scorpion outside the buliding. Poor guy...," the driver called from in front, still racing along on the road.

 _Yes, poor me!_ Ralph whined as a bump in the road caused the tail end of the ambulance to lift sharply off the ground, making him bump his already aching back against the forward facing para paramedic seat.

The woman in front of Ralph somehow gently patted his head with one hand while holding him stable with the other. "Let's try and see if we can get this thing off you nose, buddy...," she told him kindly.

Peach gently pulled with gloved hands at the scorpion, still clinging absentmindedly onto Ralph's nose, but the creature didn't even budge.

"Oh, dear," the sweet voice woman said to herself. "Looks like we'll need a different idea..."

She was able to somehow grab a large medical bag as the woman behind the wheel raced through a red light, nearly side-swiping a small minivan that had pulled over out of the way.

Peach dug through the bag for a moment before pulling out a large, flat, dual-sided tool that scarifyingly reminded Ralph of a small crowbar.

"Let's try this, pup..." the woman said as she gently tried to steady Ralph once again.

Ralph cringed back in absolute fear at the thought of someone trying to pry the scorpion off his nose, feeling more and more like a trapped animal by a crazed hunter.

But as the vet assist ventured closer and closer to him, suprising only a few thoughts then raced through Ralph's mind...the thought that he was getting futher and further away from the town of Arcadia...futher away from his home at the petshop...and further and further away of the chance of getting out of this nightmare alive and with his new collar.


	45. Chapter 44: Burned

**Chapter 4** **4** : **Burned**

As Ralph backed up as far as he possibly could away from the woman with her mini crowbar of a medical tool, the animal emergency vehicle suddenly raced over a large dip in the road without slowing down a bit, making the entire thing and the passengers inside go airbore for a few split, terrifying seconds.

When the vehicle's tires made contact with the road again, the tool the vet assistant Peach was holding went flying out of her hand and crashed onto the floor of the ambulance, slidding around and under the drop legged stretcher. Before she could even think to bend down to pick it up, however, the vehicle lurched to the right down a fork in the road.

Ralph wondered just how this crazy driver even got her license to begin with as he skidded back to the right...crashing into side of the emergency vehicle once again.

The only fortunately thing that happened was that as the vehicle straighten up, the force and pressure of the crash was too much for the hypnotized scorpoin to remained attached to Ralph's face.

When the mastiff shook his head to clear it from the imaginary fluff toys now dancing in front of his eyes, the scorpion released its' death grip on Ralph's nose... and fell on its' back to the animal ambulance floor.

Ralph, happy he could see in front of him again, gave his head one last, good final shake before eyeing down at the creature now on the floor.

The scorpion's legs stayed in their curled- over, attached postion, motionless like curly sticks attached to a large, flat topped bal las it laid numbly on the floor for a moment.

At another bump in the road, though, the creature was sent slidding down towards the woman in the back part of the vehicle...causing her to screech and jump on top of the drop legged stretcher for safely.

"Hey!" she called as she peered at the creature now laying harmlessly on the floor. "The scorpion is off of the dog's face now, Daisy!"

"Great! You got it off!" the driver called as she -thankfully- slowed down a bit to look in the rear view mirror.

"Well, actually, it just fell off!" the woman in the back with Ralph answered, slowly getting off the stretcher and stepping back onto the floor.

A starlted gasp was heard and before Ralph -or the woman in the back 'helping' him- even knew what was happening, the vehicle abruptly screeched to a hault. It nearly flipped over as the stopping caused its back wheels to lift of the ground and the passengers to go flying foward. Even Peach didn't have time to steady herself up as she crashed into the back of the driver's seat.

The woman in the driver seat angrily put the vehicle in park and flipped around to look at her colleague, her brown hair nearly slapping herself in the face as she wearily eyed a crumbled, yet unhurt Ralph.

"What do you mean it just _fell off?!_ " Daisy hissed at Peach, who was still struggling to stand up. "Don't you remember our training?! These scorpions don't just _stop attacking things!_...Unless...unless it's a..."

"Look!" Peach suddenly gasped as she finally got her footing and stood up, pointing to the scorpion still on the ground- only now it was no longer on it's back.

It had rolled over and was now standing upright, although clearly on still frozen, slightly curved legs. It's eyes were still glowing blue, in a repetitive motion...only they were now more starting to glow faster and faster than before. But that wasn't what startled it's audience of two women and a dog the most.

It's tail, a once large, harmless stump with no stinger, had now suddenly swelled to be _triple_ the size of the scorpion itself...and was still continuing to grow in size.

Daisy's eyes got wide, and her face turned stone white...and before Ralph could even blink, he was being frantically pushed by both women into the driver's side front seat and towards the side door.

"Why didn't you tell me this was an exploding multated scorpion?!" Dausy hissed behind Ralph as she pushed his rear end with all her might.

 _Wait... EXPLODING?!_ Ralph yelped in his mind as he turned his eyes back at the creature on the floor. It's tail was even bigger as it's eyes glowed blue and flash with even shorter distances between the next flash.

"I couldn't see it's eyes!" Peach gruntted in defense as she continued to pry at Ralph's back, gloves still on her hands as she tried to get the frozen dog to move. "They were facing the dog! I had no clue the were _glowing blue or flashing,_ okay?!"

"Never mind that!" the other woman snapped back. "We've got to get out of this car before it-"

A sudden hiss was heard from the scorpion, making everyone freeze and eye the creature with wide eyes. But it hadn't move, nor acted like it wanted to.

The hiss seeping from it started off low, but it was constant, never stopping or slowing down. Instead, it gradually got louder and louder, with the creature's eyes now blinking faster and faster.

Wasting no time, Daisy somehow managed to reach around Ralph to open the driver's door, the hissing now at an all time high...along with it's swolen tail.

With one last desperate push, Ralph was shoved hard out of the vehicle and onto the ground, which he was thankful was a soft, grassy median.

He stumbled up onto all four of his feet in time to see the two women had too jumped out of the ambulance to the safety of the ground when-

BOOM!

A ear-splitting sound was heard, so strong it caused the ground to shake violently underneath Ralph's paws. Not even a moment later, the ambulance the three had been in just seconds earlier suddenly exploded into a heeping ball of red, orange and yellow as fire completely consumed it.

The white frame of the vehicle was now barely seen as it burned, slowly shrinking the vehicle itself. The nauseating smell of burning medicine filled the air before another explodion errupted, destorying what little was left of the vehicle. The flames built high into the air, slowly followed by intense and dense smoke.

The two women who had barely escaped the car quickly backed away from the area around it, nearly getting scorched by the intense heat. People in their own cars a few stop lights down came running towards the buring ambulance, either to get a better look at it to rubberneck or to actually help the possible people affected.

"Thank goodness we got out of there in time!" Peach breath out in shaky relief as the people began to surround them. "That was a close one!"

"Yeah, we barely made it out in time before the scorpion exploded, eh, boy?" the other woman turned to look down briefly...to discover that the now free the bull mastiff was no where to be seen.


	46. Chapter 45: Perfect

**Chapter 45:** **Perfect**

Back at the hospital, Calhoun smirked down at the terrified corgi face under her paws. She lessoned her pressing from her paws on his little neck significantly, however, not wanting to quickly kill off her new source of amusement.

"Slick tiddling-winking, Pint-Sized," she hissed down at him, her non-nosence grimace clear on her face that melted into a humorous smirk.

The corgi -Felix the corgi, to be exact- shook voilently and somehow managed to roll over onto his back to expose his bare white little tummy in a sign of clear, unhesitantly submission to the fierce animal pinning him of down.

"I-I'm Felix, t-the Corgi, ma'am," he managed to shake out somehow.

Calhoun was able to control her laugh and keep it inside herself, but not without a stifled snort escaping her lips.

" _You're_ a corgi?" She narrowed her eyes and gave him an up-down as she lowered head closer to his small face, a now permanent smirk on her face. "Never would've guessed that in a million dog years, Pup."

Felix gulped in surprise as he pointedly avoided her pirecing gaze, his ears flopping down behind his head as he realized her paws were much lightly on him now than before.

"Uh...well, um, I'm a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, ma'am, runt of my litter as well, actually...hehe..," he infomed her, not picking up a hint of her sarcasm as his orange ears suddenly perked up slightly.

"Do I look like I care?!" Calhoun hissed out at him, abruptly pushing her paws a little harder into his little neck- not enough to hurt him, but definitely enough to demand attention. "Now where did you come from?! And how did you get in here?!"

Felix stopped shaking momentarily to cock his giant, adorable ears to the sides of his head.

"Well, uh...f-from, the petshop... 'Mr.Litwak's One-Stop Petshop', ma'am," he cringed out with his ears now back flat against his head, fully expecting to get a giant chunk of his face to get biten off by this fellow dog.

"And how'd you get in here?.." Calhoun repeated, pushing her intimidating face closer to his.

"Um, well...I got...in...here...," Felix tried to answer, only to find himself trailing off suddenly and unintentionally...

Because when, through scared, squinted eyes, Felix _really_ peered up at the mutt pinning him down for the first time...he fell his eyes widen suddenly in utter disbelief and his little corgi mouth flopped open involuntarily.

...Her perfectly round, black nose, surounded flawlessly by light brown fur and attached to a simple, long snout...her unequalled dark, almost _haunting_ dark blue eyes piercing into him, all the while surrounded by matchless jet black fur...her little smooth, pointy ears pinned to the back of her picture-perfect head... even her _grimace_ was somehow flat out adorable...

Everything about this dog, this fierce dog on top of him, was simply perfect.

This dog...this doberman pinscher police dog... was the most beautiful, most stunning, most perfect creature Felix had ever been lucky enough to lay eyes on.


	47. Chapter 46: Love at first Bite

**Chapter 46:** **Love at First Bite**

"Jimminy, Jaminey...," Felix breathed out slowly as his muscles lost their tensen altogether. His legs and brain felt like mushy dog food as he was unable to hold back a growing smile.

"Look at that elegant doberman face...it's amazing!" he continued to sigh out, completely and utterly unable to process of the gorgeous animal pinning him down to the floor.

Calhoun started slightly, taken back by the corgi's dopey, awe-struck expression.

No one...no one in a few _years_ , anyway...had looked at her like that...

Like she was more than a rough and tough police dog that could rip your leg off in one attempt. Like she wasn't just built like an average doberman pincher, body lean and ready to attack. Like she wasn't just another dog, even...

He -this Felix pup- looked up at her like she was...actually beautiful. A rare, near perfect kind of beautiful.

And Sergeant Calhoun immediately didn't like that. She didn't like it -that dopey smile on his face, that clear look of infatuation in his eyes, that look of...love.

She did not like it one bit.

Quickly realizing that this awestruck, orange-and-white cassanova corgi was less than a threat, Calhoun rolled her eyes at him one last time before slowly backing off Felix and standing up straight. She watched in weary silence as he stood up and shook his little corgi body free of any unseen kinks.

"Flattery don't charge these batteries, civilian," she hissed out at him as she shifted her weight from one front leg to the next. "Now state your business for being here. Don't you realized the buliding is temporarily shut down?"

At the sound of her rigid voice, Felix was finally able unglue his eyes from her, now fully able to remember why he enter the locked down hospital in the first place.

"I"m looking for my colleague ma'am," he informed her, standing up in front of her and nearly getting dwarfed by her tall size. "He's name is Ralph and I believe he was forced into this-"

"Wait...RALPH?!" Calhoun started as she boomed, her voice so strong it felt like it shook the ground under Felix' feet. Her amused smirk was no longer even remotely seen as she narrowed her eyes so sharp, Felix could practically _feel_ them penetrating him.

"That worthless bull mastiff that snuck on my force and lied right to my face?!" Calhoun contiuned, unable to control her rising, unchecked anger. "YOU'RE THE COLLEAGUE OF THAT SCUMB BAG?!"

Felix shrunk down low and plastered his ears against his head in alarm, feeling even _smaller_ than ever as the dog in front of him steamed.

"Y-yes, that must be him, ma'am," he told her softly, wanting to ease her strange anger at Ralph, completely unbeknownst to him. "He ran off from our petshop and went completely Turbo last night. It's kinda a long story...see, he made this bet with another animal in the petshop and-"

"Save the story for someone who _cares,_ Corgi," the doberman hissed as she turned on her heals and headed for the hallway that lead towards the main enterance. "I'm on my way to _kill_ that useless mutt you call a colleague."


	48. Chapter 47: Puzzling

**Chapter 47:** **Puzzling**

Felix jumped up before it finally fully registered just what exactly what the doberman had said.

 _K-kill him..._ Felix' mind stammered as he stood slack-jawed. _This totally dynamite dog wants to... k-kill Ralph!..._

And by judging how angry and _firece_ this pooch was, it was clear that she wasn't exaggerating in the slightest, either.

Finding his feet again, Felix shook for a moment before he bolted after her, happy he could now see just where he was walking as he bounced into the main corrior off the waiting room back towards the enterance.

"Wait...K-kill him?!" he yipped as he sprinted after her as fast as his little legs could go. "W-why?!"

He suddenly skidded to a stopped right in the middle of his running when a new thought hit him. "Oh, no...," he groaned ouloud, ears flat against his head once more as he rolled his head backwards in aggravation. "What did Ralph _do?_"

"What _didn't_ he do?!" Calhoun growled over her shoulder without looking back at the tiny dog still a little aways down behind her as she kept marching. "He lied his way onto my force, abandoned me and my men with a bunch of helpless humans and multated scorpions, and then _stole_ my well-earned, good dog collar in the process!"

Felix felt his ears twitch, his eyes widen and his body tensed up immediately at the word _collar_.

At the words... _good dog collar._

He froze in his walking as the whole conversation between Ralph and Gene the night before replayed in his mind.

 _"You know what, Gene? I'm gonna get me a new collar- to prove I am good dog!" Ralph had threathened ..._

 _..."Oh, I'll get that good dog collar... the best collar know to dog kind!" he had bosted..._

Sure, Ralph had said and had bet he'd go out and get himself a collar, a good dog collar...

But had he _actually_ went through with getting one...no matter the cost?

 _No...this can't be true..._Felix tried pathetically weakly to convince himself. _Ralph didn't want a good dog collar so badly...wanted to win that bet so badly... that he would lied his way onto the K-9s force and then resort to stealing from this goreous police dog!... Would he?_

But there was no denying it... it all pieced together like a puzzle in Felix' mind now...

Ralph was on the breaking news in the first place...because he was "apart of" this same police force with the doberman...who had had a good dog collar around her neck...

And that was why Ralph had lied to her in order to get on the force...to steal that good dog collar!

"Stole your...Oh my land...," Felix finally gasped out more to himself than Calhoun as he shook his head, still trying to grasp a full sense of Ralph's actions.

He looked up in time to see that Calhoun had reached the end to the hallway and was paused at the main enterway doors, looking out into the world outside...a look of _murder_ clear in her beautiful, hauntingly dark eyes.

Felix sighed and shook his head. It was time to clean up this mess.

"Ma'am, I am so sorry for my colleague's behavior," he called out to her softly as he continued his way towards her. "You have every right to be angry with him...even more than _I am_ with him."

Calhoun broke her dead-panned glaze outside to smirk over at the approaching corgi, having an unbelievably hard time imagining him ever _getting_ angry.

"But I can ensure you, ma'am," Felix continued as he now approached close to her side, "that I will get him to give that collar back to you immediately...once I find him, that is," he added with slight uncertainty as an afterthought.

He was shocked when he suddenly heard a callous laugh escape the doberman's throat.

"Pfff, it's not gonna be that easy to find that junkdog jerk, Short-Stack," she rolled her eyes before taking in a well trained deep smell. She growled with narrowed eyes as Ralph's scent poorly filled her nose as she peered blankly back through the doors.

"That stupid mutt is long gone by now, I'm sure," she hissed out, voice shaking with anger. "Finding him is going to be as easy as spoting a sleeping komondor in a feild of mops."

She flipped her head down to look at the tiny, bewildered corgi and smirked once more.

"There's _no way_ that little nose yours could ever pick anything more than the scent of a squirrel," she insulted him with another low, impassive chuckle.

"Beside, I don't need _your_ help in getting my collar back...I'm quite capable of getting it back on my own," Calhoun told him, nearly making him shake in fear with the now near _content_ _, happy_ look of murder in her eyes. "You need to leave the finding of that mastiff...and the _killing_ of him... to the professionals, Corgi- and that's an order."

And with that, the fierce doberman slipped noiselessly through to hospital doors into the world outside.


	49. Chapter 48: The Power of Cuteness

**Chapter 48: The Power of Cuteness**

Felix bounced after her, not willing to come this far just to give up.

He slipped through the doors himself, nearly assulted by the brightness of the sun over head. His eyes were blinded for a split second, causing him to trip slightly as he stepped off the hospital steps.

"Wait...wait!" he cried desperately behind Calhoun. "I can't let you just _k-kill_ Ralph!"

"Oh, really? You want to try and stop yourself?" The doberman answered, spinning on her heels to lean over him. Her growling jaws dripped with somehow intimidating drool as she stood over him, blocking the sun from his vision. Her sides heaved in and out in a steady, frightening pace underneath her K-9 vest as she dug her nails into the concrete steps.

Felix lowered his body once more, cringing in fear as he started to shake.

"N-no, ma'am...I-I just... _please_ , don't kill him!" he begged out.

Calhoun groaned as she dramatically rolled her head back, the overhead sun reflecting beautifully off her jet black coat.

"Give me one vaild reason I shouldn't just _snap_ that dogs neck the second I find him!" she hissed at him.

"Because...because he's needed at my petshop!" Felix barked out as he slipped back from under her head to stand up straighter before her.

Calhoun jerked her head back to laugh cold-bloodedly. "Oh, yeah? Why'd he run off like a moron last night then? Huh? Answer me that!" She hissed as she turned and continued her way down the concrete steps.

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" The corgi cried as he stumbled after her. "He ran off to win a bet that he could get a good dog collar-"

"Wait...he stole my collar to win a bet?!" Calhoun bellowed as she stopped in midstep, causing Felix to run right into one of her back legs.

"Ooh, he's going to be deader than a roadkilled opposum when I'm done with him!" she snarled as she flattened her ears against her head and continued in her deterimined stride.

Felix felt himself begin to panic. His attempt in trying to change her mind had somehow only made her _more_ determined to follow through with executing his colleague.

He bounced after her, failing to catch her attention as she pranced along one side of the building.

Both Felix and the doberman were somehow unoticed by the crowds of people in front of the hospital, most of them not even facing the enterance of the bulding. The scared citizens were gathered around the newscaster and relaying their stories and that of their loved ones inside, while the police men and women were standing guard by a police van and a few firetrucks.

Calhoun eyed them cautiously knowing she'd never get off the hospital grounds without being noticed. Seeing a row of large, well-trimmed bushes to her left before the walls of the hospital, Calhoun slipped behind the first one with great grace and agility, now completely unseen by the groups of people.

Felix quickly dashed into the hedge after her, then maneuvered his tiny body through her legs until he was standing in front of her, blocking her path.

"Wait, please!" he begged once more, nearly getting trampled as she sped to a halt. "M-my petshop does needs him, really. I-I need him," he whimpered out softy, ears flattening.

Calhoun paused to stand up straight and peer over the hedge on the look out before scoffing down at Felix. "No one needs a stealing, low-grade, lying jerk like that around."

Felix sighed, staring down at his feet. "Yes, yes, I admit. He was a straight up jerk and flat out crazy and wrong for trying to steal your collar- a-and I'm not justifying that," he told he quickly before looking back up at her. "But- but ma'am-"

"Calhoun. Call me Sergeant Calhoun," she mumbled out suddenly, ears flat against her head in annoyance. "Enough of the 'ma'am' junk, already."

Despite his fear and worry, Felix couldn't help but smile up at her. Sergeant Calhoun fit this fiercely beauitful dobernan... quite perfectly.

"Ok, Sergeant Calhoun...," he began, loving the way the name tickled his lips before sitting straighter up. "Ralph is the guard dog at my petshop and we need him there to protect us from those robbers breaking all over town!"

Calhoun shook her head, unable to handle the ridiculous excuse for not massacring that mastiff.

"Pff, such wimpy and _selfish_ reasons why I should destory him. It's gonna take more than _that_ to convince me, pup," she grimaced before stepping around him to keep walking.

Felix felt himself wilt slightly in defeat before he sat up and huffed out his chest in determination.

It was time to use reasoning, a flat out guilt trip, and ,well, those big, puppy eyes Felix was born with on this stubborn gal.

"Wait...you're right," Felix surprised Calhoun by calling out, causing her to pause in walking. "That _is_ a selfish reason for wanting Ralph to live ...but that's not the only reason I have.

"Sure, he's a mess, but Ralph _is_ a good guard dog- no...a _great one_ , actually...," he then surprised himself by admitting outloud.

The corgi shrunk lower as Calhoun turned to look at him square in the face.

"He's gentle and kind and...and would never hurt anyone without cause. But he's also tough as nails and would defend me and my other friends when need be... but now, that's gone." He paused before slowly, cautiously walking up to her.

"My whole _petshop_ is in danger because he's not there now... _lives_ are in danger because he's not there... I-I'm in danger...," he finished telling her, pulling the widest, sadest puppy dog eyes he possibly could...And he could tell Calhoun, perhaps surprisingly, was quickly waning in her resolve.

The Sergeant, for her part, had never seen such big eyes on a dog before...in fact, she didn't even know it was even possible for eyes to get that big. She couldn't even process the thought of someone, _anyone_ , wanting to hurt, harm, or dognap something so...stinking cute.

She felt her teeth grit together, jutting them over to one side in annoyance... not sure what bugged her more: the fact that the corgi -this Felix fellow- was pulling at her natural need to protect others, that he was actually making sense, or that he was just so... absolutely, cursingly adorable.

She sighed and closed her eyes, finding herself mentally swearing and already regretting what she was about to do.

"Fine. Fine, ok?" Calhoun spat out finally, rolling her head back in defeat. "I won't kill your _preicous_ colleague, ok?"


	50. Chapter 49: Teaming Up

**Chapter 49: Teaming Up**

Felix was about to jump up and yelp for happy joy when Calhoun cut him off.

"But don't think I'm just gonna to let that Ralph mutt get away with all he's done," she warned him. "He _is_ going to pay for it all...and I _will_ get my collar back."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Felix yipped, undetered by her less-than-appealing threat. He wiggled happily and swirmed over to her front paws- and unexceptedly hugged one of her front legs with pure, uncontain joy.

"Oh, thank you, _thank you,_ ma- I mean, Sergeant Calhoun!" he exclaimed as he smothered her leg. "How can I ever repay you?!"

Despite herself, Calhoun couldn't help but smirk down at the leg-hugging corgi. "Well, for starters, you can quit having a smooch fest with my leg."

Felix stooped hugging and peered up slowly at her face, blushing at the mere thought of... _kissing_ such a beauitful pooch.

Shaking off sure a honey-glowing dream, he bolted off of her, still slightly giddy as he stood before her.

"Great! So, where such we start looking?" he inquired excitedly as he looked all around slyly, ready for action. "I wonder if he ran back to the petshop, and if we should look there first, or-"

"Woah, woah, woah! 'We?'," Calhoun growled out. "There is no 'we', Corgi! _You're_ staying here while _I_ go looking for JunkPile!"

Felix' face faltered slightly as she turned and became walking again, still hiding and walking behind the row of bushes.

"Wha- why?! Why can't I go with you?!" he whined after her.

"Becuase Sergeant Calhoun works anf goes _solo_ on these types of missions!" she told him simply in reply. "Beside, you and your shimpiness could get killed _way_ too easily!"

Felix huffed. "That's not true...I'm a lot tougher than I look," he weakly told her, flatting his large ears in anger.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Calhoun mocked with an eye roll.

"No, it's true!" Felix pouted. "I could totally-"

But Calhoun wasn't listening. She was too transfixed on the rustling branches ahead of them in the bushes, right around the corner of the bulding.

"Scorpion!" she gasped out, before slapping a paw down on Felix' nose to quiet him down. "Shut your chew hole, Corgi!"

Felix' cringed as his little still sore chin came in contact with the ground, but followed orders as the doberman lifted her paw off of him.

He watched with wide eyes before melting to crouch on his legs as Calhoun immedically did, eyeing her as she stared fixated on the moving hedge limbs.

Slowly, Calhoun crawled closer and closer before, not even flinching when the rustling leaves began to move with a a lot more intensity and in frequency.

When she was in poucning distant of whatever the object was, Calhoun slowly rose to her feet...and leaped, into nearly face to face with another dog who had struck his head through the brustling bushes. Fortunately, the sergeant was able to skid to a stop right before colliding with him.

"SURGE!" Calhoun yelped, in slight embarresment and anger at the other dog for scarring her. "What is the name of Sega's Sakes are you doing here in the bushes?!"

Surge Protecter, Acardia's most illtimed security greyhound, just chuckled in reply. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Sarge!"

Felix peered around his hiding place behind Calhoun to see the greyhound he recognized quickly to be the annoying security dog by Acradia's welcome sign. Only in this encounter, Surge had abandoned his usual get up of blue and was now decked out in an outfit of red and yellow, clearly being used for the firefighter squad. He even had a tiny black fire helmet on with a stick-on firefighter badge, ready to earn a laugh or smile from any trumatized children coming out of the soon-to- be-evactutaed buliding.

"I'm on a mission to find a mutt that snunk on my force that went A-WOL," Calhoun bluntly told the police-turned- firefighter pooch, now more irritated than anything else.

"Is he the one who was too chunky for Markowski's vest?" Surge asked her, causing her to start. "And he's name is...Ralph, I think it was, if I'm remembering his smell correctly?"

"Wait...you saw him?!" Calhoun and Felix yipped in union. "Where'd which way did he go?!"

Surge twisted his head out of the bushes to where he could not longer be seen. "Follow me," he called out from the other side.

After a quick check to make sure they weren't being watched by any people, Calhoun and Feix quickly scrambled out of the bushes and hurried after the surge protector.

The three quickly turned the corner around to the side of the bulding...to see a rip police vest laying on the ground before them a few yards down, right underneath a broken glass window.

"That Ralph mutt got stuck leaping through that broken window with an explosive scorpion attached on his snout before the vest broke and he slid out the window like a crazy person," the greyhound told the sergeant and corgi, his voice barely above monotone.

The sergeant listened gravely as she approached the vest, sniffing it deeply to find the repulsive smell of Ralph all over it. She growled to herself as surge continued to mumble.

"I was about to run and get a humans' help to get the creature off his nose -and give him a citation for being on the grounds of an emergency shut down bulding-," he added matter-of- factly, "when he stumbled onto an emergency animal ambulance headed for Sugar Russia City and was gone. Whatever happened after that, I have no clue."

Felix too listened silently, his eyes slowly growing wider and wider as they danced between both the surge protector and the doberman.

The corgi had heard of a multated scorpion...but never an _explosive_ scoripon. And he wasn't completely sure he even _wanted_ to know that it was.

Disgusted by the smell of Ralph, Calhoun somberly looked up at Felix abruptly, her eyes piecing him into his corgi skull. Shaking her slick furred head, she then glared dauntingly at Surge.

It was clear what she needed to do...no matter how dangerous it may prove to be.

"Surge! Tell the others that I'm heading the Sugar Russia City- and not to follow in suit as backup!" The sergeant ordered savagely out as she began to turn to march off. "And do it quickly before I take a chunk out of your rear end!"

Both Felix and Surge watched in a pregant silence as the elegant yet tough doberman slipped off, neither one making a move or saying a word.

"Jeezers...," Felix mumbled outloud to himself finally as he watched her. "Is she _always_ this intense?"

"It's not really her fault," Surge answered him sadly as he shook his head. "Calhoun has suffered through one of the most unspeakable pain one police dog could ever suffer through..."

And with that, the greyhound turned to head off to relay the message to whenever Calhoun's troops surfaced out of the bulding, leaving Felix alone with his racing thoughts.

Felix crunched his eyesbrows together, chewing over Surge's word. He didn't know what all Calhoun had "suffered through" may have entailed, but he didn't care. It merely solidified his determination.

Watching her go off... alone... like that, on such a dangerous mission by herself, with no help...was too much for his little soft heart to handle.

He didn't care how Calhoun may have felt about it; she did not deserve to 'work solo' on the daunting task for finding Ralph, with no telling _what_ in store. Not one bit.

It was clear what _he_ needed to do...no matter what dangers it may have along the way.

"Wait, Calhoun!" Felix called as he hopped after her. "I'm coming with you!"

"Like fun you are, Short-Stack," Calhoun answered as she kept walking stoically, keeping her eyes in front of her. "This misson is dangerous- and could _kill_ an untrained, tiny dog like you."

"Well, if it's dangerous enough, it could kill _you,_ ma'am," Felix countered as he approached her. "And-and Ralph is _my_ responsibility. I've got to find him and fix this whole mess he has...and _I have..._ gotten ourselves in. And- and I cannot ask you to risk your life, no matter how well trained you may be, in order to find Ralph and make things right!"

He paused in speaking and walking when he realized that Calhoun had frozen in place and was peering over her shoulder, seeming to think over his words.

"No flex on this one, ma'am. I _am_ coming with you," Felix finally commanded her, stomping his left front paw on the ground defiantly.

Calhoun's eyes narrowed back at him, half in anger and half in almost something that felt like admiration.

She had to hand it to him- this corgi had guts. Big, stupid, cute guts.

Sergeant Calhoun sighed, seeing there was no way out of this... then, without a sound, she jerked her head foward, beckoning Felix to follow her.

His eyes wide in disbelief and then in sheer joy, Felix bounced around in a happy little circle before finally running to her side, seeking to keep up with her long, easy strides as they set off towards Sugar Russia together.


	51. Chapter 50: Exhaustion

**Chapter 50: Exhaustion**

Ralph paused to catch his breath as he panted heavily, his lungs feeling like they could bust at a moment's notice. His large legs and build-in strong muscles now felt like jello- but his feet were the ones that screamed in pain the most. The large toes pads ached and burned after running so far and so hard... over such a bad, long road back there...

In a patch of overgrown, soft, refreshingly amazing feeling grass, Ralph collapsed momentarily onto the ground for sheer exhaustion. He tried to allow his spinning mind to get caught up as well.

 _Mutated scorpions...the ambulance...the exploding scorpion...Sergeant Calhoun... Arcadia... Felix... Mr.Litwak..._

Everything and everyone he had met he done, seen, or even subconsciously missed in past many hours ran like a movie film through his mind's eye. It all was almost as exhausting as all the physical running he had done that day.

He had no idea how far he had run, or for how long. He didn't even what to guess what time it was- although it felt like hours since had run from the exploding ambulance.

All Ralph knew was that the crazy hospital, the police station...and possibly _the whole town of Arcadia_... was somewhere far away from him.

 _All I wanted was this good dog collar,_ the mastiff huffed as he weakly sat back up on his hindquarters. _I didn't ask for all this._

At the thought of his precious prize, Ralph anxiously dropped the good collar from his dry mouth onto the ground to examine its condition.

The tags it had were little less shiny than before, mostly due to dirt and mud stains it had got on it from the racing Ralph had done to escape the scene of the explosion. The strong, fabric material of the collar itself was now slightly frayed on the edges, making it look years older than it actually was...

But overall, Ralph's new collar had survived the events that had transpired... almost better than Ralph himself had.

 _It even looks kinda cool like that,_ he decided as he peered at the collar from different angles, beginning to like what he was seeing. _It looks like I, a good dog, have survived some crazy stuff...which I have._

Sure, he had sort of been the one who had caused most of that crazy stuff, but no one needed to know that part.

Despite feeling so weak, a smile appeared on Ralph's lips.

 _I really have lived to tell some great stories about this collar...if I can just live long enough get back home, that is..._

His heart dropping a bit to the dirt ground beneath him, the mastiff looked up above him- to see that the sun was no longer overhead. It now was far west, right about to set. What was left showing of it set the sky on fire, in flames with beautiful pinks, oranges, and yellows. If he hadn't been so extremely tired, Ralph probably would've taken the time to appreciate the sunset's beauty...

Until he realized that the end of the first day of the bet he had made with Gene was drawing an eventful end.


	52. Chapter 51: Fireflies

**Chapter 51: Fireflies**

His eyes widening, a whole new situation presented itself to Ralph like a ton of bricks to the face.

Sure, he had somehow survived a lot in just this one day...

But he _now_ only had two days left get back home -alive\- to win that bet with Gene!

And on top of that, as he frantically turned his head this way and that, Ralph realized that nothing around him looked or smelled familiar whatsoever. The warm, distinct scent of the town of Arcadia, once so strong, had completely faded now that he was far, far away from it.

Ralph didn't even want to take a _guess_ at how far he had traveled in the ambulance and then on foot. Because of all that traveling, he had no way of knowing just where exactly he was at, what town he was in (or if he was even _in_ a town) or how to get back to Arcadia the quickest way possible.

Ralph was completely and utterly lost...with no sense of direction...

Well, _almost_.

In a slight glimpse of hope, the bull mastiff peered back towards the definite direction he had come from...

He knew Arcadia was somewhere back in that direction...maybe...

But even if he'd followed back that way (which he guessed was north?), he realized within seconds, it would only get him so far before he quickly had no sunlight left...and he couldn't solely rely on just his nose to get back home. His sniffer wasn't quite top-knot when it can to figuring out which direction was which...

Too, the crazy ambulance ride he had taken had done so many left and right turns along the way, it'd be impossible for Ralph to successfully retrace his steps enough to get back to Arcadia...within the allotted days time he now had, nonetheless...

Ok, now Ralph was completely and lost. And about to go into a full-on panic attack because of it.

 _Come on, Ralphie boy,_ the bull mastiff breathed softly, forcing himself to calm down. _There's no point in panicking. Think positive!_

He peered down, now having to squint in the ever fading sunlight in order to make out his good dog collar- and smiled at it's fading outline.

 _At least I have the good dog collar already.._.he thought optimistically, his tail somehow having the strength to wag. _Getting that has to be the hardest part of this whole thing...right?_

Suddenly, the dirt floor, along with the collar, was no longer seen in front of him. The last bit of sun in the definite west was now gone, having completely sunken below the horizon.

He glazed up heavenwards, hoping for another positive sign in the situation at hand. All he got, however, was that the sky above him still had a faint trace of the painted sunset colors...but just barely as evening, followed by the night, began to fast approach...

In this strange, unknown, creepy deserted place...

In the distance, a loud, eerie train whistle erupted, making the dog jump and coward slightly in place. A cold, lonely shiver ran up his spine as he winced in fear.

He now had feeling that getting the collar would just be the _easy_ part of this whole bet.

 _If only I had some way of knowing just where I am, what town I'm in..._ Ralph thought quietly as he stretched down to pick up his collar, the blaring train whistle finally tapering off. _Maybe that would give me a clue as to which direction to go._

 _But just how I'm going to find that out...I have no clue..._

In bitterness, the dog shook his head roughly. Why couldn't he have been born with an extraordinary sense of smell instead of his stupid, enormous... his sore paws?

 _Well, what are you waiting for, you big lug?_ He hissed internally to himself, a determined look coming upon his face. _Quick feeling sorry for yourself, get off your rear end, and move! Sitting here won't get you anywhere!_

Groaning out loud, Ralph rose shakily to his colossal paws and forced his protesting, aching legs and paws to move.

Stumbling forward, Ralph paused when he found that the now near-raw pads on his feet suddenly weren't on a cooling dirt floor any longer- and were no longer feeling the cool, soft grass.

Instead, his large paws were now on what felt like a hard, paved but smooth road...one that Ralph hadn't even known was there while he was on the dirt ground beside it.

It turned out to be a small, two-landed, winding road, the dog discovered as he looked around, that ran both north and south. It curved and winded more with the landscape, and seemed to be more on an inclined as well further up the road.

And as Ralph's eyes followed up the road towards what he guessed was the south, still trying to adjust to the unwelcomed darkness, they suddenly landed on... a fairly dim, freshly lit up light pole on top a hill, not too far away...

Peering closer, just beyond that the other side of the hill, Ralph began to just make out a small patch of welcoming, glowing lights that were illuminating down below.

A town... _the_ town Ralph was apparently just on the outskirts of.

 _If I can just get up to the top of that hill.._.the dog reasoned, I _might be able to see the town I'm near and get a clue as to where I'm at...and which direction I really need to go._

His mind made up, Ralph began going forward towards the hill...and the warm glow of the town down below it on the other side.

As he walked, the mastiff made sure to cling to the shoulder side of the road- just in case a car was to come whizzing by. His poor, throbbing paws immediately cried in protest that having to walk on the hard paved road again, but the mastiff ignored them and focused on the light pole on the hill- and the fact that his road was actually smooth. The last road he had been on was so jagged and sharp, the poor animal probably had multiple cuts on his two front paws alone.

From time to time, Ralph found his eyes wandering back heavenwards as he walked. There he saw the plentiful, beautiful stars shining happily in the sky- a breath-taking sight Ralph had never got to experience with the busy city lights of Arcadia. The heavenly bodies peeked through the many colossal cedar trees that had grown mightly on each side of the road, refreshingly dwarfing the large dog in comparison.

When his eyes turned to focus on some kind of light shining through the smaller trees below, the mastiff saw there were a few dozen fireflies lighting up the darkness- another rare treat for the city dog. The bugs blinked their tiny lights in intervals, silently communicating in their light show message as they provide just a tad more light in the darkness.

That light was just enough, however, to eliminate in the shrubbery a lonely rabbit or two, quietly eyeing the large yet intimidating dog as he walked by. And Ralph couldn't help but chuckle as a squirrel scurried up the side of a tree, bumping into a sleeping raccon who clicked grumpily in annoyance at being disturbed.

A tired smile coming on his face, the mastiff silently eyed all the creatures back- and listened to the night time nature sounds of the creatures unseen in the serene landscape.

Hidden crickets in the overgrown grass were chirping softly, and if he listened hard enough, Ralph thought he was hearing what he believed was a forlorn owl in the far distance.

With a growing smile, Ralph found himself taking a deep breath. His nose began to fill with the smell of...a distinct train smell, now getting further away, though...

Not that it mattered, anyway. The locomotive smells were quickly swallowed with each step Ralph took by something smelling sweet and delicious- making his mouth water. It was something he had smelled before...but he just couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

With each step Ralph took towards the town just on the other side of that hill, however, the stronger and more distinct the smell got...and it clicked just _what_ that smell was.

Sugar.

Sweet, delicious, cooked sugar.

The warm, homey smell lingering in his nose, Ralph focused towards the light poll again- a smile now permanently taking residence on his face.

This little nature walk wasn't _so_ bad, he decided- in fact, it was somewhat relaxing compared to the hectic city life the pooch lived in...

That was, until out of the corner of his eye Ralph saw in passing some familiar looking glowing green eyes staring at him- only to disappear completely again seconds later.

Ralph tried to pass the unsettling, brief sight as just his imagination or even his paranoid thinking...but when he -for sure, this time- saw the eyes again, peering at him dauntingly, the mastiff couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Before long, Ralph found that he was finally at the base of the hill. He peered up the slightly steep incline and gulped, his legs and muscles and paws already protesting the idea of ascending.

Hearing a quiet, familiar hissing sound close behind him, however, was all it took to get those aching muscles and legs to force his paws to quickly moving upwards.

Not daring himself to look back at the source of the sound- or to dwell on the fact that it might be following him- Ralph forced his paws to into a run. He pushed himself up the hill but kept clumsily tripping over his large paws and sliding several times. Abandoning the idea of running, the dog finally gave up and forced himself to slow down a bit. Slowly getting to the top of the hill, he decided, was better than to end up tumbling back down to the bottom near...whatever that creature was down there.

After much groaning, panting and worrying, Ralph finally somehow managed to make it onto the top of the hill, right under the lonely street light. It was only then he Ralph get the courage to quickly look behind him- and saw nothing nor heard anything but the fireflies glowing in the trees and the crickets chirping now down below him.

Shaking off his paranoia, Ralph turned his head forward again...

...And felt his eyes widen as he peered down for the first time at the little glowing village just on the other side of the hill.


	53. Chapter 52: The Perfect Town

**Chapter 52: The Perfect Town**

There, at the base of the hill to the south... was the warmest, brightest, and most secluded little city Ralph had ever seen.

The cedar trees were now gone, abruptly cut down to make room for equally tall, bright street lamps. The lights lead to the entrance of the tiny town at the base of the hill and slope.

There, even _more_ street poles were placed in closer proximity on the wide sidewalk, placed right beside the part of the road that leads through the town. Although it was now night and the streets were abandoned, the illuminating lights seemed to liven it up, making everything warm and inviting.

From his vantage point on top of the hill, Ralph could see that not too far behind the lights on the sidewalk, there was cozy little shop upon cozy little shop, all lined up on both sides of the road. Despite the fact that they were all cookie cutter in shape of the one sitting right next to it, all of the shops were uniquely sweet and colorful in appearance, the brightest shades of pinks, oranges, yellows, and even creams used to paint them. The colorful strip of shops gave the town it's cutesy, vibrant touch.

In these boutiques were bakery shops, deli shops, many, _many_ candy shops- whatever food shops they were, Ralph could tell they _all_ the source of filling the air with the lingering smell of sugar. The delightful smell was now so strong and sweet it made Ralph's teeth ache.

Little stores, slightly bigger that the strips of shops, sat abandoned on the east and west road that ran adjacent. Yet _more_ food places took up residency in these buildings- a tiny restaurant and a grocery store, both closed and asleep with the rest of the town.

 _Man, this town loves it's food and colors, uh?_ Ralph smirked, somehow unaffected by the little village's charm.

Behind those food-oriented buildings, already almost on the outskirts of the tiny town Ralph noticed, was a small group of tiny, single-family homes. The eye-catching colors used to paint them were so buoyant and jovial, something Ralph had never seen back in Arcadia.

The homes' windows were all shut up and dark, no doubt its residences sleeping soundly inside, but they were still somehow inviting. The colorful flowers growing in front of the cheery homes and equally bright cars parked nearby made up for the quietness and stillness from the houses.

Behind the bright houses, Ralph observed, were two bigger buildings facing the north/south road- a small yet intimidating police station, painted light blue and a matching colored apartment complex, the only one Ralph could see in the town.

Directly across from the inactive police station on the other side of the road was a small, happy children's toy factory, Ralph noticed, lined with big, almost picturesque toys in the large windows. There was even a tiny children's park right next to it, no doubt filled with happy children playing there during the daylight hours with their brand new toys.

It was an adorable, beautiful town that appeared to be just perfect and innocent...

For anyone _but_ a watchful, observant guard dog like Ralph.


	54. Chapter 53: The Mysterious Town

**Chapter 53: The Mysterious Town**

As seemly warm, bright and innocence as this town was, Ralph couldn't help but notice something odd...and _familiar_...about this town's layout ...

Like the fact that this town was literally placed in the middle of _nowhere_. It appeared to be secluded. Almost extremely secluded.

The road behind Ralph was completely bare of any cars, and it was the same even further back south beyond the town. The road that ran east and west, too, was bare of any signs of human life for few dozen miles after the outskirts of the town ended.

In fact, the next real town didn't seem to be anywhere _near_ this one- the land around this town was just completely empty, barren of buildings for miles upon miles. There wasn't even a gas station anywhere around the outside of the town that Ralph could spot.

For few dozen miles at least, it appeared this town indeed stood alone...oddly, almost eerily alone...

And yet, it stood out as so familiar to Ralph at the same time...

 _Maybe...it's a town from my younger pup years or something?..._

But Ralph just stared emptily down at the unknown town, trying to place just why it felt so commonplace to him.

As he did, he suddenly caught sight of another interesting feature of the town: that of a strange fence with colorful posts supporting it, at first appearing to be just another colorful feature of the town.

But this fence wasn't one that surrounded one building and one building only. It was one that, as Ralph's eyes followed it, ran all along and around the _outskirts_ of the _entire_ town, nearly trapping the tiny town -and it's inhabitants- inside it.

Of course, on both roads that ran through the town, there were four access gates in the fence so that cars and people could enter and leave freely... but the fence itself was still odd, making it painfully clear where the town's boundaries indeed were in the near-desert surroundings.

The whole thing made Ralph question the sanity -and motives- of the people who built the fence in the first place.

 _Why would this town, of all places, even need the fence like that to show where its boundaries are? _Ralph thought, perplexed. There's clearly no other town for miles...

Unable to come up with a satisfying answer, the mastiff shook his head in mystery.

 _That's one weirdo fence_ , he concluded- before his guard dog instincts perked up instantly.

No, there _had_ to be another reason for that fence to be there...and not to just show it's boundaries.

The more he peered at the fence, the more it appeared to Ralph that that seemly harmless, flimsy wire fence was _purposed_ to somehow protect the town from the bare, outside world...

Or to selfishly keep all its sweetness -or _secrets_ \- in for itself.

 _This town is in the middle of nowhere..._ The dog connected, _with a strange fence surrounding its entirety..._ _Why...or what...is this town trying to hide from the world?..._

His ears perked up in alert, Ralph's watchful eyes subconsciously searched again through the town-

Only to then land on the strangest feature yet of the whole odd, little town...and the one that was most mystifyingly familiar to him.

Near the police station and the access gates on the south running road, there was a building totally unlike the rest- one that Ralph couldn't believe he didn't even see until then.

 _This_ building stood out like a sore thumb compared the rest of the almost identical ones in the town- in size, shape, and color. It was huge, at least twice as big as the police station; it was rounder than the other, more square shaped buildings around it; and it was bright green with splashes of purple, whereas the rest of the town seemed to favored lighter, happier shades.

And it was strange, too...that unlike the other buildings, this building, despite its equally cheery demeanor...gave off a slightly _creepy_ feel to the mastiff for some odd reason.

The creepiest feeling he had felt since observing the weird little town, in fact...

It was a creepy feeling that almost felt like something wasn't quite right with the building or what was going on inside it...

And when Ralph, the great guard dog he was, got those kinds of feelings about something or someone...they were usual one hundred percent correct.

But the most unsettling thing about the whole green building was that although he had obviously never seen it in person...Ralph could've sworn that building looked so familiar to him somehow...

So much so that the more he peered at that green building, the more perturbed Ralph got about, causing him to force his head free of the disturbing thoughts starting to fill it.

 _Being in the middle of nowhere; a weirdo, bizzare fence that runs all along the boundaries of the town; an eerie, familiar green building- This town is something right out a FREAK SHOW!_ Ralph scoffed in thought.

As his tired mind tried to decipher through all the oddness, Ralph caught sight for the first time a large, lit up welcome sign just behind the street pole on the hill, declaring the tiny town's name.

 _"Welcome To Sugar Russia City!"_ The brightly colored billboard read in over the top fruitiness _. "The SWEETEST Place in the South!"_


	55. Chapter 54: No-Where's Ville

**Chapter 54: No-Where's Ville**

At seeing the sign's happy greeting, Ralph was anything but happy. His eyes narrowed, he gently set his good dog collar down on the ground for a moment.

"Sugar Russia City...," he breathed softly out loud in disbelief as he peered over back at the little town.

 _Wait- haven't I heard of this town before?..._ He thought after a second before making the connections.

 _Oh, yeah...Back in the ambulance, one of those ladies had said something about a 'Sugar Russia' Animal Hospital... Although I don't see one here..._ He wondered as he peered once again through the town.

 _Oh! And back on the police force, the mastiff recalled, those officers had mentioned Sugar Russia...and I was the supposed "captain" of this town's police K-9 unit..._

At his memory, Ralph couldn't help but chuckle at his inadvertently clever lie. He hadn't even _heard_ of this town at the time...

But as he began to think even deeper about this town...Ralph realized that he had _thought_ he hadn't heard of this town before then...But he had\- or, at least, how it was _described_.

He'd heard from others of a weird, lonely town in the south that had many, _many_ food places...that had an overwhelming, strong smell of sugar in which the town was named after... and that was just a few miles further south of a big town called Whack-A-Mole Village...

"This is just got to be that weird, sugar-crazed town kinda over by Whack-A-Mole Village I heard about..." Ralph mumbled out loud to himself. "It's the only other town I think could be around here somewhere...other than that town with the horrible road, whatever that town's name was-"

 _But there were no other real towns visible further down south, or even west or east of this Sugar Russia... So, where is Whack-A-Mole Village from here then?_ Ralph pondered for a moment as he peered around on the hill...before turning to look over his shoulder.

Looking back north, from his vantage point on the hill, he now saw a warm glow of lights from a town many miles back towards the direction he had come from.

Confusion settled in Ralph as he tried pieced everything together, looking back towards Sugar Russia.

"Wait...That _has_ to be Whack-A-Mole with all the lights back that way, then...meaning we possibly drove through that town during the ambulance ride... trying to get to this town of Sugar Russia..."

A sudden realization hit Ralph then, a feeling of rage and despair quickly beginning to bubble up inside him.

"But a trip to the town of Whack-A-Mole Village from Arcadia could be a day or more's journey on foot...! There's no telling _how long_ it's gonna take me to get back home from here in Sugar Russia... which is even further down in the south than Whack-A-Mole Village and that stupid other town is...!!"

Ralph snarled in frustration and jerked his head up as he continued his rant and panic.

He didn't even attempt to calm himself down by pointing that at least he knew where he was now or to pause and construct a plan on how to get home from the starting point of Sugar Russia City- not that it would've even mattered if he _had_ tried to do so, however.

He knew that there was too far of a distance to travel between this town and his, especially traveling on foot. It could be a journey that could end up being well over a two days trip- if not more, what with that one town's bad road. And Ralph couldn't _bear_ to go over that jagged, bumpy road again.

His heart sinking, the mastiff realized that there'd be almost no possible way he would get back to the pet shop in time to win the bet.

Even though he had the _collar_ now and the bet wasn't even technically over yet, Ralph already knew he had lost.

Lost everything, in fact.

And at that horrible point of fact, Ralph felt sick and sad... And straight up mad.

Vicius bad dog mad- all at the cutesy, sleeping town of Sugar Russia.

"I _knew_ I should've just followed this road back the way I came! That would've gotten me a little bit closer to home I bet!" He bitterly and loudly shouted as he narrowed his eyes down back at the source of his rage."Closer than I am now! I just wasted precious time following that stupid road getting up here! AND on top of that, I'm even _further_ from home than I thought I might be! _Argh!"_

His eyes narrowed in rage, Ralph snorted as his ears flattened. "I gotta get out of this little no- _where ville!"_

Huffing in indignation, the dog was about to turn back the way he came and charge back down the hill...but never made it that far.

As he turned, the infuriated Ralph came face-to-face with the biggest mutated scorpion he had seen yet.


	56. Chapter 55: Animal Chainsaw

**Chapter 55:** **Animal Chainsaw**

Ralph felt his eyes blink repeatedly for a split moment at the huge creature before him, his mind failing to immediately process just what he was seeing underneath the lonely street light.

The massive mutated scorpion before him, however, was hard to completely block out or to unfathom for too long.

This creature, this _monster_ , was indeed all to real.

It was almost up to Ralph's high-setting chest in height, with a large, round body somehow held up by three pairs of long, stubby legs. Its' two pichers, roughly the size and width of basketballs, snapped suprising quietly towards Ralph, while blinking its' monsterous, illuminating green eyes in sync.

Although the beast was fairly calm before Ralph, it was still bone-shaking terrifying all the same. It made the fairly big scorpions back at the hospital even the one that had gotten attached to his nose, seem like mere picnic ants.

But as Ralph's eyes danced around all those amazing features of the scorpion in front of him, they landed on one of the most horrifying features of the whole animal.

There, attached at the end of the creature, was a watermelon sized tail, the the biggest one Ralph had ever seen- so huge, he almost thought he was just imagining it and that there was no way it was real. It was massive and was clearly heavy, curled into a lose ball, thick and colossal.

Suddenly, after a low hissing from the creature, its' tail was slowly raised and uncoiled. Within seconds, it stretched out...revealing the sharpest, most deadly looking stinger Ralph had ever been unlucky enough to lay eyes on.

The stinger itself quickly became the length of a long machete, appearing just as sharp. The outside edges of the 'blade' of a tail had ridges all along the sides, almost like some horror animal chainsaw. The tip was beyond razor sharp, so fine it could easily slice anything in two pieces in a mere half second.

It was the craziest -and scarriest- mutation Ralph had ever seen.

And that stinger and all its' demanded glory was raising slowly to point directly right at Ralph's nose.

The mastiff could only tense up and shake as he watched the stinger extended to its' full length, now so long that if Ralph had been a half an inch closer, the stinger's tip would've stabbed right into his nose.

Ralph felt his eyes widen as his instincts finally kicked in and as he unfroze. Finding his legs, the dog slowly began to back up, his ears flat up against his head in panic. His teeth subconsciously gripping a little tighter around his good dog collar, he gulped as his eyes stayed glued to the creature before him.

Noticing the dog's sight movement, the scorpion suddenly hissed at Ralph meancingly, as if daring him to challenge it. Its' eyes flashed green and blue, clearly a sign of the creature being angry that its' canine component was backing down.

The startling hiss and flashing eyes caused Ralph to jump back clumsily, forgetting he was high up on a hill...causing himself to go stumbling down the hill towards Sugar Russia City.


	57. Chapter 56: Near Death Experience(Again)

**Chapter 56:** **Near-Death Experience (Again)**

Ralph rolled and tripped head-over-paws down the little hill, scraping his chin, his legs, his back, and multiple other body parts on the hard and rough pavement of the road as he did. An occasional and painful _ooh_ and _ouch_ were heard as the dog clumsily stumbled his way down, banging and scatching his skin all along the way. The descend only last a few mere seconds, the hill was so little- but when falling face first down it like he was, it felt like a lifetime.

The poor, beat-up dog finally came to a skidding stop- on the already scraped up side of his face- and laid spawled out at the base of the hill for a quiet few seconds. The mutt then tried to stand shakily to his raw, aching paws, but his whole body and face was in too much pain to even lift his head up...

That was before, of course, he heard a familar sound of loud hissing and buzzing of large, terrifying wings hovering right behind where he laid.

Those terrifying sounds of the scorpion were somehow enough to numb all of Ralph's physical pain and he somehow had strength to stand. Peering over his shoulder and seeing the monsterous scorpion was looming and getting closer to him as it flew down the hill towards him, Ralph forced his body to bolt forward- and ran right into the strange fence that surrounded Sugar Russia city.

"Arg! Stupid fence!" Ralph hissed to himself outloud around the good dog collar, which he was able to still keep safely in his mouth despite his dramantic falling. He quickly and frantically tried find a way around the medium-sized fence, finding it was a lot taller than it had first appeared up on the hill.

Seeing the only way was to go over the top of the fence, Ralph backed up a little ways to get a running head start. Despite the sharp pain in his joints, he was able to spring up and somehow clear the top of the fence, his belly just razing the top of it.

After mastiff landed back on the ground was a loud clash, he stumbled over his large feet once more before sprinting forward down the road...the scorpion staying right behind him the whole time.

Ralph darted this way and that, the bright lights from the streets poles able to illuminate just where he was running. He zig-zaged up the sidewalks then back on the road again, passing shop after shop. As he raced, Ralph fantically looking for a place of refuge- well, a place large enough for him to fit, but _not_ for the scorpion.

The scorpion seemed to read the canine's mind, flying itself in a zig-zag pattren as well in order to keep up with the dog. It flew on its' sides to fit in between the shops and the light poles like a graceful, yet huge, scary, and deadly dancer.

Once on the road again, the creature suddenly darted downwards, aiming it's mechete like tail right at Ralph's back. The mastiff was able to dart out of the way just in time, causing the scorpion to crash hard into the pavement.

It struck with such a force that caused the road to crack under the tails' pressure...causing the scorpion to get its' tail temporarily stuck in the pavement.

As the creature screeched in protest, Ralph kept racing forward towards the only intersection of the streets in the town. Seeing the scorpion was temporarily trapped for a few gut-wrenching moments, the dog paused long enough to pant momentarily around the collar in his mouth and desperately look around for safety.

To his horror, the tiny town oftered him not such hope- every possible hiding places in the town was too small for Ralph to fit or completely hide behind.

Ralph then frantically smelled the air for any trace of any other creature to seek help from, but with no results. There was no any other creature to ofter him any assistance, not even a human.

 _There's.. no where.. to hide..._ Ralph thought in despair as he panted. _And...and no help...from anyone!_

Suddenly his eyes landed on a large puddle of mud laying stagnant by a light pole not too far up the road, not too far from the closed up police station.

 _But...m_ _aybe, just maybe,_ he thought in a sliver of hope, _I can get the scorpion trapped... and stuck in that gooey mud long enough to at least get help-_

But Ralph's planning was cut short when a loud crack was heard behind him. He jumped and twirled around to see in horror that the scorpion had errupted out of its' restraining trap and had broken a huge part of the pavement off the road, allowing the creature to be now free and wild once again- and twice as determined to kill Ralph.

As it clumily took flight again, Ralph saw in sheer amazing that the creature's stinger was somehow still attached, seeming to be completely unaffected by its' concrete confinement. The knife-like tip seemed to be even more serrated than before, and even more steady and strong.

The mastiff was frozen in place for a moment before backing up wide eyed as the creature sailed through the air, approaching him at break-neck speed.

Ralph had to get the scorpion somehow to the mud pile. It was really the dog's only chance.

He quickly turned around and darted towards down the street towards the mud, his heart pounding like a drum in adrenaline and fear.

Just when he thought he was actually going to make it to the mud puddle in time to dart out of the way of the scorpion, Ralph unfortunately tripped over his paws halfway. He skidding a few feet flat onto his chin and scraped his chest hard on the pavement. At the impact, his mouth flew open, causing his good dog collar to go flying a little away ahead of him.

Wincing in pain, Ralph laid still for a few terrifying seconds, before finally cowarding himself up and covering his head with his paws with accepted fate.

There was no point in trying to somehow muster up the strength to stand and try to run ahead or get away- there was no time or energy for him to do so now.

Ralph knew he was done for as he heard the hovering overhead getting closer and closer to him before it became a near deafening sound. Literally being able to feel the tip the huge scorpion's wings as it was diving down right above him, Ralph ducked his as close as he could into the ground, preparing to be cut in half or stabbed to death...

When there was a sudden, low _whoosh_ , as if an object was cutting through the air...And the creature diving down above him suddenly let out an ear-pericing cry in pain.

It squealed loudly before somehow sailing down into the road right before Ralph's nose, its' stinger still raised and extended as it just missed landing flat on top of the dog. The creature hit the ground with a loud _crash_ , violently shaking the ground under Ralph.

The creature rolled and flipped serveal times in a jungled heap of wings and legs as its' whole body was forced to roll forward...

And with his head still plastered on the ground, Ralph watched in pure amazement as scorpion rolled right into the huge pile of mud square on its' back.

The mutated monster roared in protest as it seeked to quickly rightened itself up back onto its' legs and struggled to get out of the mud. It whined in disgust as its' frantic flailing around only got the creature more stuck. Weakly slipping forward, the scorpion's head became immersed into the mud as it screeched again, slowly filling the creature's mouth with the think mud it was trapped in.

Slowly, the creature began to weaken in strength and power as it slowed down in its' struggling. The mud in its' mouth seemed block its' air supply, seeming to cause the creature to slowly die.

Its' large, illuminating eyes blinked repeatedly in its' waning will to live as its' body wiggled and jerked around desperately...before the creature finally gave up and dramatically blinked one last time, its' body going completely limp and still suddenly.


	58. Chapter 57: Unseen Ally

**Chapter 57:** **Unseen** **Ally**

Ralph slowly raised his head up and stared opened mouth at the now still, inactive creature in the once again quiet, peaceful Sugar Russia air.

How in Lassie's sake Ralph had managed to not get devoured, he had no clue. And how the creature had, not only completely missed landing on him as it crashed, but also rolled and skidded straight into the gooey mud and died, Ralph had no idea.

The mastiff rose shakily to his paws and cautiously limped over to where the creature laid still, his mind reeling.

 _How...what..._ , his mind stumbled in awe as he stood a few feet from the creature and sniffed the air for any answers to his wondering.

 _W-why did this thing crash, anyways_?

In his investigation of the huge, scary creature now limp in the puddle, Ralph then saw something mysterious under the cheery street light fully lighting the creature up.

There, right on one of the top sides of the monster's huge head, was a small dent. A strange dent, which was fairly small compaired to the huge head in was molded on; the impression was no bigger than one of Felix' paws as it curved a tiny chuck out of the scorpion's head.

Despite the surprise crash landing the creature suffered just moments before, the sudden dent seemed odd to Ralph.

He was sure it wasn't there when the two of them were having a stare off up on the hill. And although the creature _had_ had a few dozen scrapes thanks to its' fall and somersaulting, the dent seemed to be almost too perfectly round to be caused by accident...It was as if it was inflicted _purposely_.

Eyeing it closer, it seemed to Ralph that that dent looked as if a small, round, hurling object, a stone perhaps, had been tossed at the creature while it was in the air...

 _And that must've been what caused the scorpion to be thrown off balance and to go crashing hard onto the ground, _Ralph realized.

 _But what...or who...had thrown a stone or small, hard object at the scorpion? There's no one else around!_

A chrill ran up the dog's spine suddenly as he looked around in different directions.

 _Had_ something... _some_ _one_...been hidenly watching Ralph's desperate flight from the scorpion and unseenly step in to help? Did that creature or human even thrown a stone to knock the mutated scorpion off its' attack on Ralph and cause it to spiral out of control?

Ralph sniffed the air once more, trying to find some trace of a unknown smell of an ally of sorts, but his nose seemed failed him.

Shaking his head free, the mastiff decided to let it be...the unseen ally, despite saving his life, might not be too friendly _itself_.

Besides, it honestly didn't matter. Ralph was somehow alive- and although admittedly badly scraped up, he was ok for the most part.

Limping closer to the fallen scorpion, Ralph felt a smirk slowly forming on his face.

"Sayonara, sucker!" he laughed out softly as he wagged his tail with a sigh of relief.

 _Now that that psycho scorpion has kicked the bucket, _Ralph thought happily, _I can try to get the heck out of this dump with the good dog collar_ _and-_

A sudden, horrible, new reality hit Ralph hard, causing him to stop in midthought and his confident smile to falter.

It was only then did he realize that he no longer _had_ the good dog collar safely in his mouth.


	59. Chapter 58: Something's in the Air

**Chapter** **58:** **Something's in the Air**

Ralph felt his eyes widen as he desperately looked around his feet, lifting one front paw and the other. Not seeing the collar down below him, he felt his heart sink like a stone.

"Oh no," he panicked. "My collar! My good dog collar!"

In pure disbelief, the dog frantically began sniffing the ground for any trance of the collar, his nose quickly failing to pick up any other scent than that of the scorpion...and that of some nasty-smeeling garbage close by.

"Wha-where-," Ralph stuttered as he began hyperventilating, pointlessly turning in quick circles as he hopelessly looked around for his collar.

Suddenly (and thankfully) remembering the collar had flew out of his mouth when he had tripped on the road, the mastiff twisted around again and looked at the road behind him...

To see a huge, deep skid mark that was left in the pavement by the rolling scorpion...included _right_ where Ralph had last seen his good dog collar.

Freezing, Ralph sniffed the air before slowly turning to stare at the scorpion once again.

 _No, my collar can't be under that thing somehow, _he pieced to together slowly before filling with horror. _If it is... then my good dog collar is gone_ _forever_ _in the mud and underneath that dumb ole scorpion!_

Throwing his head back in despair, Ralph flattened his ears up against his head as a low growl escaped his lips...

Right before his eyes caught something shiny up on the tall street pole to the left the deep mud pit on the sidewalk.

Walking a little closer to the pole and peering closer at the object on it, Ralph could see that the small, shiny things were attached to some sort of material that was loosely hanging on the street light fixture.. and the dog felt his mouth hang open in awe.

 _No,_ Ralph gawked, _it can't be..._

But there his good dog collar was, having somehow been flung up and caught on the long light fituxe of the light pole and shining brightly right underneath a long, horizontal light bulb.

"No, no, no, no, _no_!" Ralph gasped out in distress. "My collar! _Doh_!"

He quickly darted towards the the light pole, tripping yet again. Frantically picking himself up off the ground, he quickly raced straight up to the pole's base, involuntary groans and whining of panic flooding out of his mouth as he did.

Looking up and seeing just how tall the street light _really_ was now, Ralph's mind reeled on trying to figure out just how he was going to get that collar down from way up there.

Seeing that there seemed no possible way, Ralph thought for a split moment on just giving up, that it was pointless- right before he reprimanded himself.

 _No,_ he growled determinedly, _I_ _have not come this far just to lose my hard earned, stolen collar...whether I can make it back in time to win the bet or not, I am going home with that good dog collar- no matter what._

An idea hit him then- the only idea that seemed possible to work.

Using his bulky, hard, heavy build to crash against the bottom of street pole's based, Ralph could possibly inch the collar to the end of the fixture and knock to collar off the light entirely- somehow without accidentally knocking it into the mud pit with the scoption right beside the pole.

Using as much force as he could muster, Ralph crashed hard into the side of the pole, his already aching side aching that much more.

The tall yet flismy light pole wobbled back and forth near the top, causing the collar hanging there to slide to and fro on the light fixture. It'd slide towards the edge as the light pole tripped to the front, then go sliding backwards as the pole tipped back straight up again.

Banging against the pole's side again, even harder this time, Ralph felt his rib cage creak in protest, but he ignored it. Instead, he watched up at his precious collar finally tettered right to the end of the huge light fixture, hanging taunting right on the edge as the pole straighted once more.

A smile surfaced on Ralph's face as he peered up at his collar, seeing that it was just one more good, strong push away from being knocked off completely. His eyes focus solely on the collar, he inched away from the pole for a good distance for the one last, powerful push.

 _I will go home with this collar..._

"Alright," he breathed out and up to the collar as he backed up slowly. "There you go...You can just come on down here to papa now..."

Smirking purposefully, Ralph had just took off to ram up against the pole again when-

 **"Hey Mister!"** a loud, sudden, startling voice echo out close by the pole.


	60. Chapter 59: You Can't Deny

**Chapter 59:** **You Can't Deny...**

 **(A/N: In case any were wondering, I changed the name of the last chapter from 'Come to Papa' to 'Something's in the Air' so that chapter's title and the one for this one could fit the _Owl City_ song _When Can I See You Again?_ lyrics lol Also, sorry for the long breaks in between updating the chapters :( I've been crazy busy lately (and that's been relatively mild compared to how busy it's going to get for me soon lol), but I've made it my goal to try and have this story completed _before_ the Wreck-It Ralph sequel comes out in Novermber ;) :))**

Ralph was startled so bad at the sudden voice that he yelped like a puppy. In frightened panic, and being thrown off focus, he rammed haphazardly straight into the light poll with his head, causing him to wince in pain.

Shaking his head from the agonizing ringing it was experincing, the mastiff then sporadically looked around everywhere to see where the young female voice had come from...

And saw the outline of a tiny black animal, perched by colorful flower pot on a house porch right behind the light pole. All Ralph could see of her was that she was leaning to her right, to see around the light pole...and was watching Ralph for some reason.

"Hello!" The creature said again to him, her little voice raspy and already getting annoying to Ralph's sensitive ears.

He watched as she, whatever she was, began to try to rub her arched black back against the dangling flowers from the flower pot, standing up on her white tipped paws as tall as she could to reach.

As she did, Ralph could see she had huge, beautiful illuminating eyes that stayed peering up at Ralph in the night, the only real part of her that he could see other than her bright, pure white furred feet.

Still panting slightly at being startled, Ralph stared into the creature's eyes blankly for a split moment in time, trying to make sense of it all.

Exactly where this critter had come from, how she had gotten there so quietly or what animal she even _was,_ Ralph had no idea.

But what he could see of her faint body outline, the small animal with huge eyes barely seemed big or strong enough to hurt a fly.

"Oh," the mastiff finally answered, finding his voice again as his head stopped ringing. "You scared me there, kid..."

He even found the strength to allow a relieved smile to form on his face, right before it fell into a concerned frown.

"Wait...," Ralph said outloud as his nose slowly became filled with a familiar smell of...something he did _not_ like.

Temporarily forgetting his misson in getting his collar down, Ralph took a step forward to peer closer at the animal still unclearly seen in the darkness.

Taking a deep intake of her scent, the mastiff's nosed initially just filled with the strange, overwhelming smell of garbage- nasty, near rotten garbage at that. But his nose quickly sorted through the various smells and finally picked up the undeniable fact that his startled mind had somehow had mentally bypasted up until then...

 _No,_ Ralph mentally attempted to deny as his eyes grew wide, _this creature can't actually be a..._

But as the creature interrupted his thoughts by stepping forwards to be almost fully illiminated by the street light, it baffled Ralph that he had somehow missed it before...

And before he could even think twice about it, he choked out his dreaded confirmation.

"You're a... _kitten_?"


	61. Chapter 60: Interrogation

**Chapter 60: Interrogation**

At his clear answer question, the now identified kitten paused in walking under the street light and looked up at a revolted Ralph as if he had sprouted two heads.

"Oh, _no_ ," the kitten mocked in sarcasm, tossing her head from side to side. "I'm just a lizard in disguise," she joked before rolling her eyes again. "Of course I'm a kitten, you idiot!"

At her blunt, rude words, Ralph felt his lip involuntarily raised up with a look of pure, unhidden disgust. He backed up slowly from the small feline in front of him, forcing back a snort of disbelief. He was now _more_ than slightly annoyed by the creature before him.

Of all the possible animals that _had_ to be in this town in the middle of nowhere, that _had_ to sneak up and startle him, it just had to be the worst animal ever: a cat. A feline- the worst creature, in any dog's opinion, known to animal-kind.

Questions flooded Ralph's mind, unable to fully understand just why and how he was now talking to a cat.

 _Where's the heck did she even come from?! How'd she get here- and why is she here now?_ He paused to look around him as if trying to spot the source she came from. _And why, oh why did she have to be a cat?!?_

"What are _you_ \- an elephant that escaped from a freak-show zoo, I guess?" the cat continued to insult him, her half-lidded eyes clearly mocking him.

Disgusted by the feline's manners, Ralph stopped looking around to try to see where she came from and wiped his shock off his face. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at her, forgetting his questions.

Sure, _all_ cats were jerks- that was just clearly inbred into their DNA...but did this kitten _really_ have the guts to insult such a large, strong dog like Ralph? Didn't she realize that if he really _was_ a bad dog and had no control, Ralph would've already torn into her the second she showed up?

"Uh, _no_ ," Ralph corrected the kitten sharply, allowing an exasperated snort to slip out. "Clearly I'm a dog."

The kitten mimicked his snorting. "Not as 'clearly' as I am a cat." She allowed one perfect triangle-shaped ear to flop over to the side, eyeing the dog up and down with a repulsed look on her face. _"Yeesh_ , and I thought humans said dogs are supposed 'ta be _smart_."

Walking forward, the feline ignored the strong disgusted energy Ralph was unrestrainedly giving off towards her. Fully coming under the warm glow of the street light above them, the cat sat down, her delicate and dainty features coming into Ralph's full view as she looked up at him.

It was clear that she was a little on the small size, even for a kitten- yet, she seemed to be dwarfed that much more by Ralph's large, bulky size. She barely seemed to measure up to his front forearms, her unusually big head making up most of the inches if she did. And that was just her _height_ \- from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail, she was just a little over the length of one of Ralph's humongous paws.

Underneath the street light's glow, Ralph noticed that her physical appearance was quite unique as well. The kitten was mostly covered in thick, raven black fur- although, the light above them did expose the random pieces of discarded candy that was stuck in her fur in places, as if she had been rooting around in garbage just minutes earlier.

Her sleek, long back was followed by an equally long, black yet white tipped tail that made her even more beautiful and picturesque as she gently wrapped it around her front paws, which were also white tipped. A large white patch of soft fur stretched across her stomach and underside, leading up to a distinct, perfectly heart-shaped white marking on her chest.

The kitten's face itself was striking- her expressive and inquisitive hazel eyes were indeed huge, right in the middle of a near perfectly round face. Just above her smirking pink lips, she had a tiny pink nose, surrounded by long, fine white whiskers that matched her white tipped paws and tail perfectly.

The more Ralph took the sight of the kitten in, the more he realized that she was quite possibly the most adorable and beautiful cat he had ever seen...making her even _more_ absolutely horrendous in his opinion.

And that annoying, permanent, know-it-all smirk in that beautiful face of hers wasn't helping any.

As Ralph examined her, the feline continued to peer up to look at him in the face, seeming unusually unintimidated by his large size and demeanor. Her eyes large and clear, she looked at him - _into_ him- as if she knew something he didn't...or something he _did_ know but didn't want _her_ to know...and it was starting to freak Ralph out a little.

He thought for a moment about giving this obnoxious cat something to be intimidated by, thinking about giving a good, low growl in her direction to send her scattering away like it caused all the other felines Ralph had been unfortunate enough to meet. But before he could entertain the thought any longer, the kitten spoke again.

"What's your name?" She asked in an overly friendly tone. "If you're smart enough to even know," she added quickly as an afterthought with a quiet snicker, clearly as a jab at the dog's intelligence.

Narrowing his eyes at her, Ralph sighed out loud and rolled his eyes in annoyance. It was clear that this kitten wasn't going anywhere for a while.

"Uh...It's Ralph...," the mastiff finally mumbled with his ears flat up against his head, hoping she'd just scurry off after answering her.

"Ralph, eh?" The feline answered as she stood back up and began to rub her side up against the street pole, her smirk widening on her face. "Funny...You _look_ dumb enough to be a Ralph."

Somehow able to dismiss the thought of barking roughly at her, Ralph instead rolled his eyes upwards again...only to feel them widen and twitch slightly after landing on his forgotten collar.

His precious collar, despite his head colliding with the poll just a minute before, was still teetering on the edge of the light fixture. In fact, the collar was barely staying on the fixture at all now, looking as if it could fall off at any small gust of wind, the slightest pressure to the pole...or any harder rubbing from a certain annoying cat.

And worse yet, if the collar did fall...it'd land right near where the kitten stood, causing her to discover the collar...and she'd then probably turn Ralph into the police here in Sugar Russia for theft or something...

In horror at the thought, Ralph gawked silently up at his collar for a moment, now praying that it didn't slip off at that exact moment. It took everything he had not to lunge forward and accidentally squish the kitten in order to be sure he would catch his collar before it could fall.

"Yeah, that's called a ' _light pole'_ there, buddy," the kitten smirked at him, laughing callously and still completely oblivious to the collar far above her.

Gulping nervously, Ralph allowed his gaze to slowly follow down the pole to stare at the kitten once again.

There had to be a way to get that collar down without this kitten noticing it... _or_ , Ralph thought, _maybe I can just get her to quickly go away and then get my collar._ The thought of growling bad-dogish at her crossed his mind again, a smirk spreading across his face at the mental image of the kitten racing away from his sight.

But just by the way this kitten looked into him with her mocking, half-lidded, unafraid eyes, Ralph could then tell that there was no amount of growling or barking, even the fiercest he could muster up, that could scare this bold and feisty kitten away. She was indeed and unfortunately here to stay.

 _Just ignoring this cat isn't going to work in getting her to go away, either,_ Ralph realized in disdain as he squinted his eyes again at her, for once disgusted at someone for lacking any fear of him.

As if she could read Ralph's mental agony, the kitten abandoned rubbing up against the light pole and sat down right beside it once more, continuing to smirk.

"You're not from here, are you, Ralphie boy?" she asked curiously before she began casually licking her paw to wash off her face and behind her triangular ears.

Raising an eyebrow down at her, Ralph tried to peer into her as she was seeming to do with him. W _hat's with all the questions?_ he mentally whined. _Is she some sort of secret crime detector or something...There's no way she really cares about any of it- she's a cat, for Saga's sakes... It's like she's __purposely just being annoying!!_

Not getting any more information from the kitten's eyes, Ralph gave up on his visual examination. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the dog felt his ears flattening up against his head in annoyance.

Regrettably, he was beginning to realize that he was just going to have to play along with the obnoxious cat in order to get around her, get his collar, and high-tail it out of this place.

Sighing almost painfully, Ralph opened his eyes and looked back down at the kitten.

"Uh...no, I mean, yes, I am...," he quickly stumbled over his words to answer her as convincing as possible. "Uh, I mean, not- not right in this area. I'm just, uh, doing some... work, yeah, _work_ here, you know."

The kitten paused in her licking, eyeing him curiously. "What kinda work?"

 _Yeesh, what is this? Twenty questions?_ Ralph hissed internally...before getting a somewhat crazy idea, quickly feeling a smirk mirroring the kitten's to surface on his face.

At that split second, he had come up with some sort of a perfect lie...and he had cleverly lied before and gotten fairly far with it- why not to see if he could get by with doing it again? _And besides,_ he then figured, _if it was fairly easy tricking the leader of a K-9 group of police dogs, then surely it'd be way easier tricking this mere kitten._

Ralph did his best to casually approach the pole closer, trying to inconspicuously eye up at his teetering collar without the kitten noticing.

"Just, uh, doing some routine light pole sniffing...," he told her as convincingly as he could, shocked how easily the lie was rolling off his lips. He even fake sniffed the pole for extra measures. "Making sure there's not _explosive bombs_ or anything like that here in Sugar Russia."

He proudly puffed out his chest slightly, running with his lie. "So, ya know, you might want to stand back, or just leave altogether, actually," he then instructed the kitten, eying her conspicuously as he forced down yet another smirk at his clever lie.

He looked around the two of them with an overarched eyebrow, a look of credible authority surfaced on his face. "In fact, this whole area is technically close while we're sniffing-"

"Who's 'we'?" The kitten interrupted instead of moving, her eyes beginning to narrow in suspicion of the mastiff and his story.

"The, uh...the bomb squad," Ralph told her, subconsciously looking up again. His dangling collar's tags waved slightly with the faintest breeze, the tags twinkling in shininess under the direct light of the fixture's light bulb.

The cat down below, meanwhile, looked him up and down. "You don't _look_ like a dog from a bomb squad...where's, like, all your equipment and stuff? Or even your official badge? How do I know you're not... _totally_ _lying_ to me right now?"

Slowly looking back down at the kitten in aggravation and uneasiness, Ralph eased his clenched teeth apart as she eyed him pointedly.

Maybe, just _maybe_ , this kitten was too smart for his lying to get by her.

"I am on the squad!" He spat out a little too quickly. "Uh, I'm, er... a new recruit," he mumbled out weakly, forcing himself to not to sound as unconfident as he now felt. "And...other than my trusty nose, I don't _need_ any other equipment or some badge. I'm just roughin' it today."

The cat rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed as she then looked around them, seeing no one else but the two of them and the dead scorpion. "Ok, but where's everybody else on this 'bomb squad'?"

The dog forced out a calm, deep breath and faked an unfazed, grueling smile down at her. "It's just me today, uh..."

"So, you just meant like the royal 'we'?" The kitten asked to confirm as she arched one eyebrow at him, her lower lip dropping down to one side exaggeratedly.

Ralph felt his eye twitch again. Just _focus on the collar, just focus on the collar_ , he repeated fervently to himself.

"Yup...that's right," he told her as he eyed upwards again at the prize of his collar.

"And you're from where?" The kitten then countered, barely grabbing his attention as he stared worriedly up at his collar.

"The town over, uh...," Ralph mumbled out.

"What town exactly?"

Growling out loud, Ralph allowed his exaggerated rolling eyes to roll down at the kitten in pure annoyance...to see she was smirking with content. She was clearly enjoying getting under his skin.

"Kitten, listen, ok?" he glared out, refusing to give her any such satisfaction. "We're, uh, undercover," he told her weakly. "And-"

"You mean _you're_ undercover," the kitten pointed out, "'cause you said it's just _you_ here today, right, New Recruit?"

Gritted his bottom jaw jut out to the side, Ralph narrowed his eyes sharply. Did this feline even begin to know just how _annoying_ she was? But as he glared down at her, it was all too clear.

The kitten knew exactly just how irritating she was being...and Ralph was somehow getting the strong impression that she flat out knew he was lying to her but was wryly just playing along.

That smirk, those half-lidded eyes, one arched eyebrow, her quick, sharp tongue- it all clearly screamed that she was loving bugging this mutt that was easily thrice her size, and that she could see right through him to the foolish dog he was in his center.

And that fact irked Ralph to no end.

Suddenly resolved, he forced his lower jaw back in place and took a deep breath through his nose. He was _not_ letting this happen.

He had let others get the best of him, let others make a fool out of him in the past- that monotone security 'cop' Surge, that nasty hearted Gene, even that intense Sergeant Calhoun had brought him buckling to his knees...

But Ralph, the big, strong, mature bull mastiff of a guard dog, refused, absolutely _refused_ to be made a fool from a mere scrawny kitten.

An obnoxious, too-smart-for-her-own-

good kitten, nonetheless.


	62. Chapter 61: Made Fool of Yet Again

**Chapter 61: Made Fool of Yet Again**

"Yes, that's correct...," Ralph finally breathed out gently, doing his best not to lose his composure. He attempted to casually lean up against the light pole, forcing his eyes off the kitten again as he peered upwards to see his collar sway backward slightly. "It is just me today on, uh, the bomb squad," he answered the kitten's further questioning, refusing to look back down at her. "Now, if you'll _excuse me,_ I need to -"

"Hey, are you a hobo?" The kitten suddenly interrupted him to ask, rolling over onto her black back, her white patched tummy fully exposed. She innocently blinked up at Ralph, seeming completely unaware of how rude her question was.

Sincerely taking aback, Ralph whipped his head back down to stare down at her for a moment, his mouth hung open in shock.

This kitten was bold and rude, but _that_ bold and rude? To a big, strong, could-be-a-bad-dog like him, nonetheless?

" _No_ , I am not a hobo!" the dog hissed at the kitten ridiculously, gawking down at her lack of self-awareness. He shook his head slightly and looked back up in aggravation. "But I _am_ busy, ok? So, you-you go home already-"

"What's that, didn't hear ya," the cat interrupted again, smirking even wider than before as she playfully pawed the air. "Your breath's so bad it made my ears numb!"

Jerking his head downwards again to gawk at her, Ralph scrunched his eyebrows and again. He forcefully gulped back a low, mean-dog growl. _Is this ki_ _tten really that stupid, or just that smart-alecky?_

As she continued to bat her long, dainty eyelashes and petite, perfectly round paws up at him, Ralph suddenly felt like he was more than tempted to step on this kitten; after all, he wasn't blind to the fact that just one huge paw of his would be sufficient enough to crush that big head of hers.

Instead of following through with that plan (which he decided would make him that much more of a bad dog, even if he felt valid enough to be), the mastiff forced himself to take another shaky deep breath and look straight into the kitten's eyes.

"Listen," he began, his voice steady and firm, yet blunt, "I try to be nice-"

" ' _I try to be nice!'_ " The kitten suddenly mimicked him, poorly making her voice to be as rough and low as Ralph's was.

The dog stared down her, his mouth hung open again in a complete stupor at what he had just heard. "You're mimicking me-"

" ' _You're mimicking me!'_ " The kitten copied again, her high, raspy voice nowhere near sounding just like Ralph as she scrunched her face in further mock imitation of him.

 _This is ridiculous_! The dog further thought exasperatedly. _How old is this kitten?!_

Nonetheless, Ralph gulped again and held his head up high, making his mind clear. _He_ was the adult animal here- and he needed to show it, no matter how immature the kitten was acting.

Besides, she clearly was just trying to get under his skin, and Ralph was _not_ going to let that happen- especially not by a cat.

"Okay-"

"' _Okay!'"_

"That is rude, and this conversation is over!" Ralph forced out, although the kitten was already mimicking him again.

"... _'and this conversation is over!'"_

Ignoring her, Ralph then purposely and roughly pushed up against the street pole, causing the pole to sway back with his force yet again. He discreetly eyed up as his collar slid back more towards the middle...before sliding back towards the very edge of the light fixture again as the pole swayed, the collar tauntingly even closer to falling off now.

"Oh, I wouldn't bang against that light pole if I were you..." the kitten suddenly warned, righting herself up. Calmly and cooly, she walked back towards her original post on the doorstep, nonchalantly examining her front paws as she did.

Rolling his eyes at her again, Ralph then realized she was walking away from him. He had the offhand thought that maybe she was actually and _finally_ leaving him alone- before he regrettably saw her sit back down on the porch step, the cat smirking widely and cynically as she did.

Disappointed, Ralph sighed and, dismissing her warning altogether, banged against the light stand once more, watching as his collar swayed backward.

"I'm from the bomb squad," he told the kitten confidently, looking over at her with a mock look of authority. "I think I know what I'm doing-"

But his words and confidence were cut short as the long lightbulb inside the light fixture far above them suddenly broke off and came sailing down, causing the immediate area around the two animals to become dark again. The light bulb collided onto the ground with a large and loud _crash_ , sending broken pieces of glass shooting into a million different directions.

Yelping and leaping backward out of the way, Ralph ducked down as low as he could as he nearly rammed into the dead scorpion.

"You hit against a light pole too hard, the lightbulb will come out, _ga-doi!_ " The kitten smirked at Ralph from the safety upon the doorpost, rolling her eyes demeaningly at him as she did. "Besides, Bomb Boy, why would'cha bang against somethin' that hard that could possibly have an 'explosive' by it? Are you really that _stupid_?!"

As she cackled loudly, Ralph growled low in annoyance and in embarrassment as he flattened his ears up against his head. Refusing to accept he'd been schooled by a cat (or caught in yet another lie), he looked back up to see where his collar was on the light fixture, completely unable to see it now.

The mastiff cautiously made his way around the broken glass, bearly able to see the ground in front of him. Straining with his eyes upwards the best he could, Ralph tripped over his huge paws occasionally.

"Hey, why are your paws so freakishly _big_?" The cat bluntly asked, noticing Ralph's large paws for the first time all night despite the low light.

"Oh, I don't know," Ralph snapped back, still desperately trying to spot his collar on the light pole as he forgot all about being the 'mature' one. "Why are you so freakishly _annoying_?!" He shrugged pointedly at her.

The kitten sneered back him, a glimpse of content in her eyes. _Is it just me,_ Ralph pondered with narrowed eyes, _or does this kitten seem to_ _enjoy_ _this pointless banter?_

"Well, why are _you_ so freakishly-," The kitten began as she rolled her eyes upwards. As she did, she suddenly stopped and gasped silently as she stared up...and Ralph immediately knew just what her eyes had landed on.

"Sweet mother of milk bone!" The cat crowed as she animatedly stood up on her paws, her already large eyes now the size of proverbial saucers. "A collar...with-with shiny _tags_ on it!" She bounced on her tiny paws for a second, joyful for a whole new reason. She glowed as a wide, jovial, greedy smile filled her face.

 _No_ , Ralph gulped out as his eyes danced between her and the collar far above them apparently was. _S_ _he...she wants that collar? For herself?!_

In gut-wrenching desperation, he danced his way around the shards of glass faster than before and growled viciously as possible at the kitten. "Don't even think about it, that collar is _mine_!"

Undeterred, the kitten kneeled down, just ready to spring up half a second later. "Race ya for it!"

Before Ralph could stop her in any way, the tiny kitten zipped up and onto a small window ledge of the house, then jumped onto the longer next one over, placed a little higher than the previous window sill. From there she hoped on a tall wooden fence separating two of the little square buildings, a fence Ralph hadn't even noticed had been there before.

Using her long tail like balancing pole, the cat walked along the fence for a moment, then sprung onto a branch from a tall tree growing on the other side of the fence. Hoping from one limb to the next, she proceeded to climb higher and higher, and faster and faster up the tree.

She moved with such agility and ease, it was almost scary to Ralph...but not as scary as it was to him as when he saw that one long branch in the tall tree just happened to meet up with the top of the light pole where his collar was hanging...

Springing in action, the mastiff forgot about all the glass pieces littering the ground and rushed over to the light pole, standing up on his hind feet to his full towering height as he leaned up against it with his full weight.

"Hey, hey!" he desperately barked at the kitten to stop. "No, it's _not_ whoever gets it down first get the collar, 'cause it's mine! It's _mine_! You hear me?!?"

The kitten ignored him, continuing her ascension up the tree as she grunted in effort here and there. The huge tree nearly seemed to swallow her whole with its big leaves, and for a time, Ralph completely lost sight of her, her mostly dark fur blending right into the dark night air and shadows.

Growling in frustration, the mastiff finally caught a small, quick glimpse of the kitten, thanks to the other street pole's glowing light nearby. Now seeing that she was close to being about halfway up the tree, Ralph backed off the pole.

Seeing the need to be the first to get that collar down now more than ever, the mastiff began banging up against the pole as hard as he could, silently begging the collar to come down. The collar above him violently slid this way and that on the light fixture, at times towards the tip of the edge before it went sliding back towards the top of the pole at his pushing and banging.

The kitten, meanwhile, finally got to the high branch that met up with the top of the pole. Racing down the tall branch with such grace that arguably only a cat could have, the kitten balanced as the branch got thinner and thinner near its tip.

Noticing how close she was now to the light pole, and his collar, Ralph far below her pushes against the pole even harder in one last desperate attempt to get his collar down himself. Unfortunately, this one last pushing caused the collar to go sliding back the fixture... and right into the outstretched paw of the kitten.

With a faint _snap_ of the clasp, the collar was now snapped off the fixture completely as the pole wobbled back into a straight up position.

"The winner!" The kitten cheered and gloated as she held the collar securely in her paw.

In pure horror, Ralph abandoned his place by the pole as he raced towards the tree the kitten was in. "Give it back, you little brat!" he screeched as he did, accidentally and haphazardly side-swiping the other light pole placed in his path.

At that impact, Ralph was thrown a little off course and, tripping over his large paws again, he ended up stumbling and tripping...right into the sticky, gooey mud that most of the scorpion was still lying dead in.


	63. Chapter 62: All-Time Low

**Chapter 62: All-Time Low**

Shaking his head roughly due to his stumbling, Ralph blinked a few seconds. As he tried to stand shakily up, it took him few more seconds a mere few seconds for him to realize that he couldn't even hoist himself up very much.

Looking down, he saw that thick mud caked and clung to most of his forelegs on all four feet, and even the bottom of his stomach had the glue-like mud on it, holding him down and not allowing him to rise up fully.

The kitten, meanwhile, still perched safely in the tree, set the collar down on the branch as she laughed apathetically at the pathetic excuse of a dog, at him getting outwitted by a kitten and no doubt now stuck in a pile of the gooey, thick mud.

In dismay, Ralph panted for a moment, his eyes abruptly squishing tightly altogether as he sought to get unstuck in the sticky mud, straining his large legs as hard as he could. Mentally blocking out the kitten's growing, scoffing laugher, he strained and extended and wiggled all he could- but to no avail.

He was pitifully stuck in the mud- and stuck good.

In absolute anger and frustration, Ralph glared furiously up at the kitten. He could suddenly only see flashes of red, from his own blood creating spots in his eyes, or from his now over-boiling anger, he didn't know or care.

All he knew was that he was now Bad-dog mad.

"You _better_ give me back my collar, you rotten little cat!" He growled as loud and fiercely as he could, shocking himself at how menacingly he sounded. "If you don't, you'll regret the day you were born!!!"

Still chuckling quietly at the dog's misfortune, the kitten snatched up the collar- now her collar- and headed down the tree, gracefully hoping from one tree branch to the next descending one.

"Yeah, right," she answered him around the collar in her mouth, "whatcha gonna do- bark me to death?! You forget you're stuck in that mud?! Besides," she continued unconcerned, "you _know_ wouldn't hurt a little kitten like me! Your nasty-smelling bark is worse than your bite!"

In shock, Ralph growled lowly to himself more than at her, shrinking slightly in the mud.

Although never wanting to admit it, he knew that she was indeed, regrettably, inarguably right- while being stuck in the mud, he was practically helpless, completely and utterly unintimidating in every way.

Not that that matter, anyways- because...somehow that kitten knew he was bluffing about hurting her, too.

No matter how many red spots he saw, no irate he could get, not even in his baddest Bad-dog anger, Ralph subconsciously knew he would _never_ seriously or viciously hurt a younger, weaker, female animal, dog or not...even if he did feel they _really, really_ deserved it or were obnoxious enough for it.

But...how exactly that kitten somehow knew that about him, Ralph didn't know- or pause to think about.

Maybe that's why she didn't fear him whatsoever and knew she could walk all over him, teasing him, insulting him with no fear of real harmful retaliation... because she knew, somehow, someway, that this big, strong bad dog wasn't nearly as bad as he appeared or even tried to be...

But, for once, Ralph didn't like someone didn't fear him. No one bit. Couldn't this cat see he was trying to 'threaten' her here?

Despite subconsciously knowing all this, when the smug cat hoped off from the last branch and walked tauntingly close to the mud pit, Ralph still couldn't control himself. He put an embarrassing amount of effect into more vain struggling in order to get that collar, now just inches from his snout.

Panting in exhaustion, Ralph nearly collapsed with weak, strained knees before he did he remembered that he'd get even _more_ submerged into the mud if he did so.

The kitten just smirked at him and stood with the collar in her mouth, now just insultingly inches from Ralph's place in the mud. As she narrowed her eyes demeaningly down at him, she then turned on her heels to leave, the collar and its tags hanging in her mouth...causing the contained dog to finally compromise to an unsearchable low, even for him- and he knew what he had to do.

Flat-out _beg_. To a _cat_.

"Wait, wait- just one second, cat," he begged, trying to make his eyes as big as he had seen Felix make his when he had begged. "Let's talk about this!"

At his plea, the kitten spun on her paws to look expectingly at him. Sighing loudly, Ralph looked straight at her once again half-lidded eyes, ignoring the way they seemed to glow in a strange happiness at his humiliation. Blushing, he hung his head.

 _Thank goodness none of the other dogs back at Bad-Anon or GENE can see this right now, _he had the thought in shame. _This is just sad._

"Ok...Here's the truth," he began in agony as the kitten waited for him to continue. "I'm- I'm not from the bomb squad, ok?"

"Oh, what a shocker!" The kitten sarcastically smirked. "And lying to a _kitten_ ," she suddenly pretended to look hurt as she looked at Ralph with mock pain in her eyes. Her face relaxed seconds later, though, her seeming trade-mark smirk resurfacing as she examined the collar by her paws. " _Shame_ on you, Ralph."

"But I _wasn't_ lying about the collar!" he sincerely pleaded with her. "That _is_ my collar! That's why I was by that pole, because it got stuck up there, and it's _mine_!" He shook his head gently, begging her to have sympathy with him in his sad state. "It's-it's precious to me- please give it to me. It's-it's my ticket to a better life!"

"Well," the kitten began with her devilish, jeering smile as she gently batted the collar around at her feet, unfazed by Ralph's begging. "Now it's mi-!"

Midword, the feline cut herself off suddenly as her eyes flashed wide and her smile and playfulness disappeared abruptly- and for the first time all night, a real, instant, unhidden fear filled her eyes for some odd reason.

Ralph noticed her strange behavior and eyed her curiously as she shook her head hard as if to clear it of something.

The kitten began again, trying to narrow her eyes cooly and somewhat playfully back at him again. "Now it mi- mi-"

Cutting herself off again, the kitten flattened her large ears up against her head, seeming to be greatly annoyed by something, in fear of something. Her face squished up, she shook her head again with tightly shut eyes, casually brushing off something- or trying to, at least. But as she opened them again, her large, telling eyes said it all- she was scared...scared of something to come.

Yet again, she shook off her unexplained uneasiness and tried to tell Ralph her possession over the good-dog collar. "Now it's mi- mi-InE!!"

The cat all but vainly tried to keep her voice steady as her eyes all at once rolled into the back of her head...and seconds later, she began to violently shake, a strong, forceful, _terrifying_ shaking that overtook her from head to tail.

In his place in the mud, Ralph watched in a strange utter horror as the tiny kitten convulsed into horrible, gut-wrenchingly strong seizures that shook her with forceful, shocking strength. The spasms shook up her tense body like she was experimenting her own eternal high magnitude earthquake, causing her to jerk her head side to side sharply.

As small and fragile as she looked, the kitten was somehow able to hold her ground during such forceful tremors. This was no doubt due to her short little legs tensing up like tiny supporting rods, keeping herself from being thrown onto the ground. Still, it was painfully clear by the way her whole body tensed up and her face tightly twisted up that the seizures were strong, and possibly even painful for the poor creature they took control of.

As he watched for an unbearable second, Ralph suddenly felt even more helpless that he already did. He had never seen an animal have seizures like this in all his life, one that literally seemed to overtake the animal and cause them to go into a semi-conscious state.

And despite his intense anger, and the fact this kitten was so annoying, Ralph still couldn't help but feel a strong, unique sympathy for the roughly twitching kitten.

Just when _he_ thought he couldn't take her violent shaking anymore, just like that, it was all over- the seizures, the jerking, the dread and sick feeling Ralph was having- all over as fast as had begun.

Standing still, the kitten's eyes rolled back down to their normal level, the beautiful hazel tint to them showing once again as they darted around in slight panic. She licked her dry top lip, her ears flat against her head again as her tiny chest gasped for breath.

Gaining control over her body again, the cat shook her head slightly, looked up at Ralph, and as their eyes as met...another dismissive smirk surfaced on her face, as if the aggressive seizures had never happened.

"This collar is _mine_!" she finally got out with a slight hint of triumph in her voice. She snatched up the collar into her mouth again, and after she looked into Ralph one last time with half-covered eyes, turned fully around on her paws once more.

"See ya, chump!" The kitten crowed as she skipped away jovially, peering over her shoulder once or twice as she did.

In finally mentally grasping what had just happened, Ralph abandoned his worry and agony over the kitten and his anger came roaring back to life.

 _She's running off with your collar, you Dummy! Get it back!_

"Come back!" the mastiff screamed as he flailed around in the mud again, perilously getting even more stuck. "Then I'll find you! I _will_ get unstuck and I _will_ find you!"

As the kitten kept going into the darkness down the sidewalk, Ralph growled fiercely as he slammed his side into the light pole beside him in frustration. His ribs feeling beyond bruised, he looked up in hopelesses...seconds before the light bulb from this other street light came sailing down as well. It also hit the ground beside Ralph with an earth-shattering _clash_ , only this time he couldn't get away so easily as pieces of glass sprinkled all over him.

"The light bulb comes out!" he heard the kitten annoyingly called ahead of him, now completely unseen in the complete darkness.

Now covered with all sorts of cuts and bruises, scrapes and scratches all over him, stuck into some crazy thick mud...and having been through so much already...just to lose his well-earned collar to a _kitten_ , Ralph felt his stomach twist up in anguish, misery, utterly sicking torment.

In total, complete _loathing_ , hastily now resolved.

There was _no way_ he was just giving up now- he didn't care how low or ashamed he felt. He honestly didn't care if he _didn't_ get back to the pet shop in time to win the bet with Gene, nor he did care _how_ long it took him to get back home from here in Sugar Russia, now that there was a further delay by being fastened in some cement-like mud and the collar being taken.

Ralph didn't care _what_ or _who_ he had to meet or get through or completely _pulverize_.

He _was_ getting that good-dog collar back. No matter what.

Even if that meant forcefully taking it back from a low-down, no good, twitching kitten after tracking her down.

 **(A/N: Yay! I could finally introduce Vanellope's character in the story! :) :D I thought about making her a dog as well, but decided her personality and physical characteristics fit that of a cat better than a dog ;))**


	64. Chapter 63: Too Little Silence

**Chapter 6** **3** : **Too li** **ttle** **Silence**

 **(A/N: *awkwardly waves* Hello again lol :P I'm _so sorry_ for not updating with new chapters lately! It's literally been _months_ since I've added any new chapters- pathetic, I know XO But I hope the next few new chapters will make up for it! :) I hope I will steadily grow to have a more consistent writing schedule again- but even if I don't, please don't think I've given up on this story! I'm determined to get it done (no clue as to when, tho, lol), so I appreciate your patience and support as the reader!**

 **This chapter and the next few will definitely stray for the WiR dialogue and scenes, but I can see this general idea and the ones to follow happening between our Hero's Cuties in the movie between the scenes lol Hope all enjoy!)**

"...Oh, and if you can believe it, Mr.Litwak is only in his fifties! Which is fairly youngish for a human to live, I think. It sounds _so old_ to us dogs, but apparently, humans can live an awful lot longer than we can! Pretty neat, huh? Mr.Litwak's Nana, for example, is close to being _90 years old_! Can you even imagine living such a long life?" Felix paused to eye up at Calhoun with dobbing eyes as he sighed dreamfully. "Just think about what wonderful and downright _beautiful_ things she's seen and heard in all her days..."

The doberman spoken to pointedly eyed down at the chatty, rambling corgi beside her and fought back the urge to growl. _Too bad you won't live that much longer to find out_, she hissed threateningly in her own mindset.

Instead of following through with that unspoken threat, Calhoun pressed ever forward, narrowing her eyes as she forced them back onto the road before her and stared straight ahead unfazed. The light mist falling in the town of Frogger clouded the K-9's vision, causing her beautiful blue eyes to narrow in annoyance that much more. The dewiness landed on her jet black back, making her shiny coat glisten even more under the street lamps above them...and earning a few too many extra goo-goo eyes from her tiny male companion beside her.

"...I've heard Nana tell Stefanie some of her crazy shenanigans as a child, which would've been a loooong time ago. Things must've been so different than how things are today. I mean, puppies could actually play outdoors without their parents worrying about getting mercilessly hit by some, some _hooligans_ like we have today! Pardon my potty mouth. It's just that..."

Huffing quietly, Calhoun rubbed her tongue over her bottom teeth in growing annoyance. _If he says 'Pardon my potty mouth' one more time..._

It was honestly getting harder for the doberman to believe that it had been only a few hours since she had met Felix and since they had embarked on their journey to find his no-good colleague, Ralph.

It felt as if she had _always_ known the corgi- in a bad way.

Regrettably, in few hours since he quite literally crashed into her life, Calhoun now knew **way** too much knowledge about her new little 'sidekick' of sorts- that he was technically what's called a _miniature_ corgi, that he got his marked looks from his father, that he was thankfully adopted by a man named Mr.Litwak a puppy, that he loved bacon flavored kibble 'something awful' more than he did the duck flavored ones, that he knew some old crazy woman named Nana, and a **ton** of other useless information...

Along with some accidentally revealed knowledge about him as well.

Being trained to study and silently take in knowledge about others' body language and overall demeanor, Calhoun considered herself skilled at reading into fellow animals and taking them for who they really were...

Except was that Ralph dog. That idiot getting by her somehow and allowing him to snuggle his way to being the head honcho on her unit wasn't her greatest moment, Calhoun would embarrassingly admit.

 _But getti_ _ng to chew into that mastiff like a puppy with a milk bone on Christmas day will be completely worth it,_ she smirked silently to herself.

"...I would concur that puppies just have a harder life nowadays," Felix rambled on, "what with having to survive in this terrible ole' world we live in now. Little kittens, too- although, they seem like they can hold their own a little easier than we dogs can." He shocked Calhoun by actually _pausing_ in his constant talking to chuckle a little. "Oh, man- we've seen many a cat in my pet shop, and boy, do they sell quickly! There was this one man who came in and..."

Rolling her eyes upwards again, Calhoun sighed loudly- but knew Felix wouldn't pick up on how exasperated she was getting.

The second they began their trek from the hospital grounds, Felix hadn't stopped to even take a breath before he began to try to make small talk with the doberman- which she didn't engage in return. Giving up in trying to get her to conversate with him, the corgi resorted to humming a quiet song...which Calhoun purposely stopped walking to glare at him for. Not seeming to understand that his new female companion just didn't want to talk and that she was too focused on finding Ralph to engage in conversation...and that she just wanted _silence..._ , the corgi pressed on undeterred, launching into a descriptive story about his pup years- and hadn't stopped talking since.

Somewhere earlier during his long-winded spill about his award-winning father, Calhoun figured out that Felix was a talker- and that he was like most others by hating to hear the horrible sound of awkward silence ringing in his ears. She quickly picked up on the fact that he was desperate to fill the void (that she had been purposely leaving) by rambling on and on- even if she herself stayed quiet otherwise.

That was so different from Calhoun, the polar opposite of her, in fact...as she was learning that everything about this corgi was.

Sergeant Calhoun honestly _preferred_ silence over small talk and conversation and noise in general. She viewed silence as an escape- where there was silence, there nothing said that shouldn't have been said, nothing heard that shouldn't have been heard, no feelings that be shouldn't have been felt... and for that, silence mostly meant peace to Calhoun. Usually.

Besides, she knew, she did had a loud, intense occupation as a job, after all, with noises and sounds that were often sharp and piercing- and something she was confronted with every day and every other second. And on top of that, as the head canine of the department, Calhoun bearly had any real, quiet down time to herself...

Although she didn't mind that too much. Being busy forced her to stay out of her own mind, to focus on what was truly important- and to not live so much in the past.

But still, such a demanding job gets taxing after many years of enduring it, so the doberman valued her rare times of silence...

Which she knew she wasn't going to get much of with chatter-box Felix around.

"...Can you **believe** Gene said that to Glen?" He suddenly woofed out, his random rambling capturing Calhoun's attention again after it had strayed. "I mean, sure- Glen can be pretty snappy for a turtle, but he's not _mean_. Well, I guess Gene really isn't mean either, per se; I think he's pretty misjudged. He just hasn't quite learned tact yet or when it's not best to speak you what's on your mind or when it's best to just be quiet..."

Intentionally snorting at his last words, Calhoun couldn't help but smirk and roll her eyes yet again. Sure, she had gathered that Felix was a smart pup- but not the most observant dog she'd ever met.

As the two walked through this town then that one, this little city right into the next, Calhoun found that Felix dumped even more new, pointless facts about his life on her... and she found that all that useless information, purposely revealed or not, had anywhere else to go but into her mind. There, it was forced to bounce around in her head, slamming repeatedly against her brain's walls...

But Calhoun was surprised to further find herself retaining it all, nonetheless. She could now win at any 'Felix-Trivia' posed to her...and for whatever reason, that made the hardcore police dog hiddenly smile.

And as they walk, the hours after hours began to feel like mere minutes after minutes, moments after moments- and Calhoun steadily found that she was getting to where she didn't really mind Felix' constant talking, even. It made the time go by so fast...being with _Felix_ made the time go by fast in a strange way, no matter how much random, pointless yet somehow important facts he shared.

 _Besides_ , the doberman further reasoned as she eyed down at her gabby companion with a smile, _his deep, 'awful' adorable southern accent makes his rambling on a **little** bit easier to tolerate._


	65. Chapter 64: Last Name Bases

**Chapter 64: Last Name Bases**

"...Oh, but enough me. Tell me about yourself, ma- I mean, Sergeant Calhoun," Felix suddenly asked as casually as he could, catching Calhoun completely off guard. "Have you always lived in Arcadia," he further pressed, somehow walk forward without tripping over his paws, "or are you new to the town...?"

The doberman spoken to halted in midstep and eyed down at the corgi beside her, who had been steadily prancing beside the much larger dog. Up until now, Felix had been going on and on about his own life- he had never stopped to learn more about Calhoun herself. Which she honestly preferred it be that way.

Realizing she had paused in walking herself, Felix stopped his prancing and turned to look up at the doberman, his eyes so scarifyingly soft and sincere.

"Or were you raised in Arcadia as a pup," he voiced in possibly as she dully eyed back at him, "then moved away but then back again?"

Her ears flat up against her head, Felix was surprised to see that Calhoun almost looked irritated by his questioning, offended at it, even.

Shrinking a little in place, Felix felt his own ears plaster up against his head. He was just trying to get to know Calhoun better- they were partners in crime, after all, right? Buddies in action? Pals on a mission to save the world?...or at least the guard dog of the corgi's pet shop.

Why was Calhoun acting like he had asked something distasteful, rude, even? He'd never ask anything too revealing or intrusive- especially to his newest and prettiest friend.

The beyond awkward silence growing between them and one of her sharply raised, unamused eyebrows glaring at him was enough to make Felix about to apologize for ever asking, tell Calhoun to forget he even said anything-

"I was born and raised in Arcadia," the doberman suddenly mumbled, her head pointing straight forward as she marched onward once again. "And I'll more than likely die in that town as well."

Watching with huge, round eyes as she walked past him, Felix blinked a few times. His little mouth gaped open in awe, he felt it twist up into a slowly growing smile.

He was getting to know Calhoun! Felix the corgi was **_actually_** getting to know the most beautiful canine on the earth!

Beaming with unhidden joy, the corgi began shaking he was so excited. Quickly realized Calhoun was getting a little ways ahead of him, Felix snapped out of his euphoric state and raced to catch up with her.

"Well, that's just awesome to know! That's amazing- being born one place and being raised there- oh, the memories you must have of our town!" Felix chuckled as he picked up his pace to keep up the doberman's long strides. "It must be so awesome to have that kind of past-"

Blinking back the dewiness in his eyes from a light mist sprinkling down on him, the small dog could've sworn he saw the strong doberman pincher flinch ever so slightly...as if she beyond disagreed with his last few words, as if they physically pained her somehow...

Cocking his head slightly, Felix continued to peer up at the slick police dog, her eyes harder than before, rougher than before...

" _It's not really her fault,"_ that one greyhound's voice filled Felix' mind again, recalling the level of mysteriousness of the pooch he was dealing with here. _"Calhoun has suffered through one of the most unspeakable pains one police dog could ever suffer through..."_

Shaking his head and quickly deciding to abandon trekking into the uncharted territory of Calhoun's past (or to even bring up such a possibly uncomfortable conversation for her), Felix pressed forward, eyes his focused on the sidewalk ahead of him.

"Sorry I talk so much or were too push in my questions...," he suddenly whimpered up to her, sincerely apologizing. "I just-"

"It's fine, Short Stack," the doberman surprised him by interrupting him- and shocking him more to hear the genuineness in her voice. "I've dealt with more chatty and pushing animals than you- trust me."

Realizing she wasn't upset with him -and that he hadn't blown his chance to get to know her more- Felix smiled heartily.

"Well, that's **great**! I mean, it's not great you've dealt with chattier and pushier pets than me and all, but it's good to know I didn't offend you in any way..."

Snorting slightly, Calhoun rolled her stunning dark eyes down at him, her steps a little lighter than before- pleasing Felix greatly.

"It takes a lot more than that to 'offend' me, pup...," she commented, her tone joking yet serious in a way.

"Great! I have so many questions to ask you!" Felix then chirped. If she was ok with him asking questions, then he was going to ask questions.

"Cause I'd _love_ to get to know you more! Like, why did you decide to become a police dog, anyway? That's such an intense occupation if I've ever seen one! You're obviously very good at it! Is that why?

" Oh, and does your family live in Arcadia as well? I mean, if you have a family...," Felix continued to ease as slyly as he could, although his voice was a lot more cautious this time around. He didn't want to strike another nerve in her- and although he honestly didn't want to find out if she was in a relationship, the infatuated corgi somehow needed to.

Before Calhoun could even think of a response, Felix abruptly froze in his steps all at once, blinking repeatedly before a cheeky and wry smile surfaced on his adorable face.

"Oh, and what is your first name?" He laughed good-naturedly as he quickly found his feet moving again. "I just realized I don't know it. I mean, I know your _last_ name, and refer to you as such," he rolled his own eyes at his words, his deep southernness evident in his tone. "But I don't know your real name. I bet it's just as beautiful as your last name, though!"

He chuckled again and turn to further stare up at Calhoun- to see she wasn't beside him any longer.

The garrulous corgi paused in his walking to look over his shoulder...and completely turning around, he saw that Calhoun was frozen in place- and was giving him the worse evil eye he had ever seen.

She had never narrowed her eyes at him like that, nor hunched her eyebrows that sharply his way. It was beyond clear she was angry. More than angry, even. If looks could kill, Felix would've been digging his own grave right about then with the way she was scowling at him then.

And he knew solely by her gorgeous yet infuriated face that he had offended her somehow.

She stomped towards him, and other than the first time they met, Felix sincerely thought Calhoun was about to chew into him... and as he lowered closer to the pavement and squeezed his eyes shut, fully prepared to lose a limb or two-

"I didn't 'decide' my occupation because I'm good at it- it decided it was for me. I don't have a family- and never will...," she hissed as she approached, then leaned her head way down deep into Felix' scared face to state simply a bone-chilling truth about herself.

"...And it's Tamora, but until further notice, it's Sergeant Calhoun. To _you_."


	66. Chapter 65: Rhythm of the Night

**Chapter 65:** **Rhythm of the Night**

Seconds after stating her harsh, clear order, Calhoun stoically straighten up and continued to stomp past the corgi. She pushed forward, letting the overhead streetlights to lead her down the path.

Behind her laid Felix, still cowarding close to the pavement. But as he tried to slowly stumble to his paws, he found that his fluffy corgi short legs felt as if they were a jelly mush.

Giving up in trying to stand up, he finally just sat still his bottom, his large ears each flopped over to an askew angle. His blue eyes doubled in size as his soft corgi heart fluttered softly at one word.

 _Tamora_ , he mentally repeated, his racing mind struggling to comprehend just how he was feeling...

"Tamora," he mouthed so softly as an awestruck smile appeared on his corgi face...

Tamora, he permanently imprinted on his emotional, gooey mush of a heart, pounding in his small chest at a steady, rhythmatic pace.

That was no doubt the most beautiful name he had ever heard; it was almost like an odd lullaby, a strange symphony strumming at his heartstrings.

The name was so soft yet tough, so delicate yet strong, so gentle yet stern...

So beyond completely _perfect_ for the doberman companion he was now getting left behind by.

Suddenly snapping back to reality -and somewhat gaining control over his emotions- Felix turned to overly gush how great the first name was to his pooch companion...

To realized said companion was more than a few streetlights ahead of him now. She was on the move, her strides long and easy...and fast.

Spinning on his heels, the corgi tripped over his paws and did his best not the face-plant the ground as he stumbled up to catch up with Calhoun...

Who he decided he would start secretly calling Tamora in his mind only.

"Wow...That's an awful gorgeous first name you got there!" Felix drooled as he stared up at her, now blundering along by her side. "It's so beautiful and fits you so well! Where did your owner even come up with such a beautiful name? It sounds like it's French, or-"

But his gushing was cut short when the doberman abruptly froze in place, her eyes wide and ears up in rapt attention.

"Can it, Short Stack!" she hissed suddenly- and the corgi could tell it was not because she was beyond irritated by his flattering.

Staring intently ahead, Calhoun stretched her long neck forward a bit. Gravely sniffling the air for a split second in time, her point ears flattened immediately, becoming practically glued to her head.

She must have smelled and heard something, Felix knew...something nearby. Something hidden in the dark. Something potentially dangerous.

Something possibly big and strong enough to _eat_ the corgi- or worse.

Something possibly big and strong enough to _hurt_ Calhoun...

Hardly able to fathom such a horrifying line of thought, the corgi quickly decided it'd best to obey the cut-throat doberman's orders instead of question them. He pursed his lips together and flattened his own ears, crouching low to the ground and peering off into the direction she was so fixated on.

All he could see, though, were pitch black shadows bearly making outlines on the pitch black road before them. The sidewalk they had been walking on had cut off and turned a sharp corner, and the streetlamps that had been lighting up their path on the sidewalk abruptly ended, making the street even a few feet ahead of them in dark and eerie in the night. All there was lighting the road itself was a few lonesome, adjacent stoplights near by, one barely provide any light as it dimly blinked red over and over above the desolate roads.

Such an eerie, unilluminated scene wasn't enough to deter Calhoun's sharp glaze, however- in fact, if anything, it made her already sharp eyes all the more intense and wide.

In such low light, she couldn't distinctly see just what was there on the roadway ahead...but her well-trained nose could certainly _smell_ different odors- some strong, some weak.

In fact, there was an odd combination of different scents in the still air, ones that were definitely burned car parts and some that were of burned medicine...and a very faint smell of something else.

But there was one smell that worried Calhoun the most. One that caused her eyes to widen and her shoulders to tense. One that made her short fur stand up in end, nervous and even slightly, dare she say, fearful.

All at one smell she could identify from anywhere.

Giving the corgi beside her a look that demanded that he stayed rooted in his place, the doberman cautiously tiptoed forward- her legs ready to pounce and attack any scorpion that dare came her (or her helpless male companion's) way.

Precariously stepping off the safety of the lit sidewalk and into the stygian street, the brave pooch eyed around her. At seeing no bright headlights attached to any cars lumbering down the path, she bolted across the way. Her sleek form quickly disappeared within a few mere seconds, her shiny, jet black, _perfect_ fur and figure quickly getting swallowed by the black night.

No longer able to see her, Felix quickly filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. Shaking in his spot under a bright streetlight, he leaned forward, straining as hard as he could to at least see Calhoun's faint outline- but failing to even see a tiny bit of her now as she got further and further away.

Gulping back a worried yelp, Felix' once calm heart started pounding so loud his large ears could easily hear it- and he didn't fancy the shaky, uneven rhythm it beated at now.

Ahead of him, Calhoun seemed to sneak across the two-way road and deeper into the night. As she did, the definite smell of some type of scorpion got stronger and stronger in her sensitive nose- as well as the distinct smells of burning fumes, metal, tires, and medicine...

And somewhere as she crossed over the grass median in the road, there was the very faint but very unmistakable smell of one dog Calhoun swore she would kill.

Her stance a little bit less intense, less on guard and more angry than anything else, the doberman continued to harshly sniff the air as she marched forward...before her eyes slowly got more adjusted to the low light.

Able to see a bit more clearly, her straining eyes landed on a large blog of something close to the other side of the road. A manged, metal, charred blob.

Forced to come to a halt before the object -which Calhoun quickly figured out had once been large medical van, an ambulance even- the deep smell of one-time burning exhaust fumes and gas overwhelmed her nose...as well as that faint other smell of a certain dog.

"Short Stack!" she called loudly over her shoulder, startling -and relieving- Felix beyond belief. "You better get your tail hide over here quick!"

Sniffing the burned up car again, she laid her ears back in repulsion- and slight apprehension.

"That worthless colleague of yours may be nothing but crispy bull mastiff _ashes_ right now!"


	67. Chapter 66: Unwelcomed Discoveries

**Chapter 66: Unwelcomed Discoveries**

A paralyzing shock running through him, Felix felt a tremor race through his body as his corgi mouth flopped opened involuntarily.

Surely Calhoun couldn't be talking about... _Ralph_ , could she?!

But as he forced his small paws to tiptoe over to where Calhoun stood on the other sude of the road...and as he past over the dividing median...

A specific bull mastiff smell, as weak, masked and singed as it was, drifted up into Felix' nose as well- making his stomach churn in fear.

And as his feet came to rest before the horribly burnt blob on the other side of the two-way road... once an actual _car_ , he realized in horror... a bone-chilling shake came over the corgi once again- making his lungs feel like they had collapsed.

There was no doubt in his mind that Ralph had once been in this car... the now charred car, practically _destroyed_ by some sort of fiery inferno of flames...

"This- wha- it... _Ralph!"_ Felix squeaked finally as he blinked in horror, trying his hardest to take the reality in as his ears flattened up against his head. "This-this was the ambulance he had been in! A-and it's **_destoryed!"_**

Unable to stand still, the corgi began pacing back and forth on the pavement before the car, panic seizing him. If he had a longer tail, it would've been tucked far between his shaking back legs.

"Ralph's...dead! He has to be dead! There's no way he would've gotten out of there alive!" he continued to cry, blue eyes the size of proverbial plates. "He has to be mere ashes by now! If even that! The ashes probably disintegrated or blew away or- or good gravy, what does it even matter?! Ralph's _dead!_ He's _deader_ than dead! He's-"

"Oh, shut your chew hole, Corgi," Calhoun hissed heartlessly, cutting off his hysteria as she rolled her eyes, circling the burned up car. She sniffled the front end- the blistered headlights and hood just barely staying attached the car. "It's not _that_ big of a loss to the world. That Ralph mutt deserved to go push up some daisies."

"Well, maybe," Felix natively responded, still shakily slightly as Calhoun raised a surprised eyebrow his way, "but he certainly did not to just _die!_ Especially not in such a cruel, _horrible_ way!"

Ignoring his innocence, the doberman continued to sniff her way around the car, her nose picking up less and less distinct scents of passengers. She took in the smoky smells by the passager side door, the side of the van...then apporached the back end of the van...

"If he was anywhere in the ambulance, it would've been here," she mumbled out, sniffing the rear doors- looking like they had been forcibly blown open by some kind of explosive.

Shifting through the suddenly renewed smells filling her well-trained nose, the doberman finally took in the odors of the van's one-time passengers: a scorpion, two different adult women, and Ralph being the only ensemble of characters she could tell were ever present.

Cautiously leaning in closer to peer into the van's back, Calhoun gulped slightly, not knowing what she expected to find.

Inside the emergency vehicle was as burnt and destroyed as it was on the outside- except three times as bad. The shelves once stocked with medicine and various tools were now melted and mushed together in a black, hard clump. The stretcher had morphed into the storage compartments the ambulance had, bearly recognizable as being two completely separate items...

Making it painfully clear to Calhoun the explosion had streamed from _inside_ the ambulance instead of outside of it...

And unfortunately that whoever was alive inside when the animal EMS exploded had no chance of living.

At such grim odds of anyone surviving the inferno once in the van, Calhoun continued to smell the air drifting from inside- suddenly shocked at what her nose told her. She was so surprised that bearly noticed that Felix had crept closer to her side.

"Is he...was he in there?" the nervous corgi whispered nervously, his heart pounding in fear of her answer.

"Yes and no," Calhoun surprised him and herself by saying, not at all what he expected her to say. "Ralph was once _in_ here, for sure- but somehow _got out alive_ before the ambulance exploded...Good thing, too, otherwise I would've kicked his ashes," she hissed angrily under her breath.

"Wait...Ralph got out? _Alive?!"_ Felix chirped astonishedly at the news, his whole body wiggling as he animatedly hoped around- before his body welted slightly in confusion. "How'd he do that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," his companion answered, smelling the van's air again. "Smells like the two humans got out, too, though. Probably helped the mutt get out safe. The only non-survivor was the explosive scorpion... let's hope, at least."

His earlier elation popping, a dark chill ran up Felix' spine.

"Explosive scorpions," he repeated uneasily, gulping at how unsettling the thought was before trying to play off sarcastic. " _They_ sound like a fun bunch..."

"More like anything but, pup," the doberman replied bluntly with a snort. "Their way less 'fun" than just the regular mutated scorpions."

At her eerie words, she abandoned sniffing the charred vehicle and headed back towards the grass median- the only place on the scene where Ralph's scent was the strongest.

"So...we know that Ralph's alive," Felix pieced together slowly, prancing over to her side once again, "but the question now becomes where did he head from here? We kinda need to know that to find him."

He cautiously sniffed the median himself before looking around them. "He's free now, so he probably headed back towards Arcadia, back towards home-"

"Think again," Calhoun droned as she started sniffing the ground around the grassy division- her eye somehow catching a few huge paw prints left by the dog they seeked. "That'd be the smart thing to do, but remember how _dumb_ the dog is that we're dealing with here, Fluffy."

Shaking her head in annoyance, she rolled her eyes down at the corgi beside her.

"Junkpile's scent and tracks leads _south_ , not north towards our home town," she pointedly told him, her voice making it clear that such a fact was beyond asinine.

His large eyes flattening, the corgi welted slightly as he winced in embarrssment.

"Ralph probably got turned around once he got out of the van and accidentally headed down south," he thought out loud, then sheepishly shook his stub tail when Calhoun glared down at him. "Ralph's never been one too good with directions."

"Unfortunately for us," she sighed loudly, eyeing back briefly at the charred ambulance- then stoically peering back towards the dark south before them. "I guess our little trek isn't over yet."

Her mind made up, the doberman tossed her head for Felix to follow her, her strong, lengthy limbs marching onward- more determined than ever.

"We'll just have to follow his tracks down south until we find him," she mentioned, eyes narrowed. "Hopefully Ralph didn't actually obtusely venture down to Sugar Russia...for your sake."

Eyeing back at the destroyed medical van briefly himself, the corgi then quickly shuffled after the doberman, not wanting to be left behind again.

"Why do you hope that for _my_ sake?" he inquired innocently, trying to curiously peer up at her face- before fragilely tripping over a tiny pebble in the road and face-planting the ground hard. His small corgi butt stayed up in the air, held up by two crooked knees as he blinked up in pure embarrassment.

Forcing herself not to snort at his ill-timed mishap, Calhoun paused in her strides and actually bent down to help him up, gently scooping the corgi's chin off the ground.

As he found his front legs again and sat back up, the adorable corgi shook his large head mawkishly...and as she peered down at his large, blinking blue eyes...

Calhoun discovered she felt a strange, abnormal sense of protection over her little companion. A shield-like protection, one that blanketed Felix...

A protection that was at a level the harsh doberman had felt only one other time in her life...for only one other _animal_ in her life...

Shaking her head hard, she tensed her strong legs up, ready for a possibly daunting road ahead.

"You'll see if we must go into Sugar Russia," was all she could manage to say as she began marching forward once again- swallowing any forlorn thinking before it forcibly wiggle its way unwelcomed into her mind.


	68. Chapter 67: Theories and Facts

**Chapter 67: Theories and Facts**

The night's still silence was the only thing heard for a few minutes as Calhoun and Felix walked southward. Both of their minds were pounding with very different thoughts: the doberman focused on finding the bull mastiff heading down towards Sugar Russia; the corgi focused more on what Tam- er, _Calhoun_ had warned.

 _"Hopefully Ralph didn't actually obtusely venture down to Sugar Russia...for your sake..."_

That thought - especially the last stretch of it- had puzzled him greatly... and when he asked her why that was the case, Felix wasn't blind to the fact that Calhoun had danced around the issue in a way. She never really answered the question, Felix realized- which honesty worried him. A lot.

 _Why was Sugar Russia such a bad place, anyway?_ he pondered internally. _Anyplace with the word 'sugar' in the title has to be delightful, right?.._

The thought starting to bug him too much for him to have peace of mind, he finally spoke up as he trotted beside Calhoun.

"Wh- why is Sugar Russia so bad?" Felix mused softly, halfway wanting to hear the answer- yet halfway not.

Even in the low light, the corgi suddenly noticed the doberman's ears twitch- clearly debating on whether to tell him the truth.

Finally unable to ignore the wide-eyed, innocent corgi beside her, Calhoun sighed. Although very hesitant, she concluded he at least deserved a heads up, some warning...

 _Maybe he'll even be more protected that way..._

Shaking her head hard, Calhoun forced her mind clear of any worrying thoughts- for growing, multiple reasons.

"It's where the mutated scorpions' breeding headquarters seem to be," she cautiously stated, her voice sharp and direct as she marched forward. "That place is crawling with them. You can't safely walk a few feet without seeing at least one- and if you _do_ go a minute without spotting one, it won't be long before you run across some of the creatures' filthy eggs."

Gulping down the knot forming in his throat, the corgi shook for a second but somehow kept up with the doberman's long strides.

"O-oh, ok," he nervously replied, unsure of how to process such news. He couldn't manage the thought of any place crawling with such horrible creatures; it sounded like a nightmare in the making...one that he was going to possibly have to deal with eventually.

Pushing down the urge to yelp in fear, Felix redirected his mind to focus on keeping up with Calhoun's steady trot- finding doing so more difficult since his paws were feeling heavier and heavier with each step.

"W-why does Sugar Russia have so many of those...those _things?_ _"_ he stumbled out, somehow even afraid of saying the words out loud.

"As of right now, no one really knows," Calhoun replied, still staring straight ahead before her eyes narrowed a bit more. "But I do have my own theory about why fro-foo Sugar Russia is such a hotspot for 'those things'."

Beyond intrigued, the corgi by her feet raised his small orange eyebrows. "Really? What's your theory?"

"Well, Sugar Russia may look all frilly and cutesy and innocent on the surface," the doberman responded wearily, "but in reality, it's got quite the dark past that it's attempting to cover up... and it involves us animals."

Pausing long enough to look down the dark east and west road crossing they found themselves at, the doberman slipped across the path at seeing the crossing road was empty. Closely at her heels was the bouncing corgi.

"It was once the hometown of a horrible animal laboratory, ran by some crazy scientist, his wretched henchmen...and their fierce, monstrous dog that was trained to catch some of the smaller animals around Sugar Russia," Calhoun continued, shaking her head. "They'd catch all kinds of creatures- and abuse them, experiment on them, doing who did who-knows-what to them."

"That's just awful...," the corgi whispered, feeling his soft heart ache...and pound in a strange, familiar sting at her words.

"You're telling me. They messed up so many animals- more than anyone is even aware, I bet," the doberman mentioned, her own soft heart going out to the poor animals subjected to such terrible abuse. "And when that horrible scientist had run out of victims him in his own town, he resorted to trying to _steal_ other animals from other towns. He was even brazen enough to try and break into various pet shops," she continued without skipping a beat, "including multiple ones around our town. But the wacko finally got taken out... by a guard dog... at one of the pet shops..."

Trailing off in her words and in her stride, Calhoun suddenly slowed down, coming in a startling halt.

Behind her, Felix was gawking himself too much to notice she had stopped moving abruptly and ended up running straight into her steady back legs. Flying back onto his behind, the corgi shook his head hard to clear it of any extra fuzz flying before his eyes.

Looking up quickly, he saw Calhoun had turned and was staring wide-eyed at him... And even though they were still in low lighting, he could see a strong look of shock yet clarity upon her face.

"That was _our_ pet shop!" Felix finally yelped to her, finding his legs again as he jumped up. "And Ralph- he was the one who, uh, 'took out' that robber!"

His words confirming where her mind was going, Calhoun couldn't help but gawk openly. That worthless bull mastiff _actually_ served his petshop well and saved the animals there...including little Felix here?

"Thank goodness Ralph stopped him, too," Felix then shook his head- fully aware of how the outcome could've been very different. "'Cause if he hadn't, the nasty scoundrel of a scientist probably would've stolen us smaller animals- and experimented on us and abused us somethin' awful!"

Shaking her head in clear disbelief, Calhoun watched as a comical look of bitterness came upon Felix' face suddenly, an expression she didn't even know the corgi could make as he flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes. If his words weren't such a startling revelation to her, she probably would've ended up laughing out loud at his strong, hate-fill face under the glowing street lamp they were under.

"At least the scientist was hauled off to prison where he belongs," Felix hissed sharply- before melting into confusion. "But... the police shut down the lab that the scientist own, there in that Sugar Russia, right?... And replace it with an animal hospital and an adoption place?"

"Yes, the lab was shut down," Calhoun confirmed, still blinking as her mind tried to catch up with Felix' revelation about Ralph. But finding her own legs again, she backed up before completely turning around- her nose to the wind as she headed down south once more. Tossing her head for the corgi to follow, Calhoun continued.

"But...well, the scientist's villainous dog and the henchmen fled the lab and are still on the loose- and according to rumors around town, those low-down abusers were possibly dumb enough to have stayed in that very town," she hesitated before slipping out the truth. "And here's the thing, Short Stack: I personally believe that they are _still_ _doing experiments_ on animals in secret there in Sugar Russia, running a lab somewhere in the tiny town."

"What makes you say that?" Felix asked as he bounced after her, panting slightly at trying to keep up with her fast pace again.

"Well, think about it for yourself, Corgi," she answered, absentmindedly forgetting just how fast she was walking. "Do you think the fact that Sugar Russia used to have a full-blown animal experimenting lab -with some of its past employees possibly still in the area, no less- and the fact that _same town_ now has the highest mutating scorpion population in the state is any mere coincident?"

"Wait- are you saying that the scorpions are mutatin' because of the crazy animal lab is still there in Sugar Russia? And it's still operatin' in secret?" Felix connected, his large ears flopping to the sides yet again as he shrunk down a bit. "That's- that's crazy... but makes so _much sense!_ I completely agree with you! I think such a theory could be true, Calhoun! Why doesn't the police unit there in Sugar Russia get on top of that, and why can't they just search for-"

"Because they've been working their rear ends off trying to keep their city _itself_ safe, genius," Calhoun cut him off with an irritated eye roll. "What with dealing with the mutated scorpions themselves there all over in the town, all of the K-9s and cops in general in Sugar Russia have been a little more than busy...

"Besides, it's an assumption, not a fact. That's why it's called a _theory_ , Einstein-" she continued before she was cut off- although Felix didn't seem to notice much. They simultaneously had become aware that the road under their feet how gotten more uneven and rough suddenly, cutting into their paw pads unlike before.

For a brief moment, the two looked down and saw the road they were on had become seemly switched over from smooth to jagged- and that the road was now made of extremely worn pavement. In the soft glow of the tall street lamps, potholes and cracks were seen scattered across the path before them- making it a bumpy ride for those in any vehicle. Crumby bits of sharp concrete were littered on the side of the road where the two dogs were on as well, suddenly making the path a little more treacherous to walk on.

Peering just behind them, Calhoun's eyes saw a large, green road sign, one they hadn't even notice was there since they had been so busy talking. Walking backward to see exactly what it said, the doberman saw that the huge sign was a town sign- wishing travelers fare-wells as they left the town of Frogger and welcoming them into the bumpy, 'far-out' town of Asteroids.

Rolling her eyes once more, Calhoun prodded back forward. At least she knew exactly where she and Felix were now, she mused. Asteroids was a large town right before the smallish city of Whack-a-Mole-Village... and Sugar Russia was just the next town over.

Pausing to sniff the air for Ralph's confirming scent, Calhoun inhaled a deep breath- and found herself not surprised that it was still leading down south...

But she _was_ surprised to find the mastiff's distinct smell wasn't quite as infuriating to her as it once was.

"There's not enough evidence to point fingers at anyone or any specific place yet," she finished telling the corgi by her side as she stubbornly began following down the less smooth road. "Despite all the research being put into finding out what is causing the mutated scorpions, there are no specific, true sources or reasons found yet. All we can determine as of right now is that those creatures are caused by some experiencing, that they are dangerous, mutate at alarming rates, some act as explosive devices, that they inject some sort of unidentified medicine as it's posion, and that they all completely die when submerged in water. That's it. The why's and how's haven't been quite answered yet."

A look of seriousness on her long face, the doberman stomped over a group of loosened pebbles on the road, her strong, resistant toe pads bearly even feeling the bits of rocks.

Pausing to dance around them himself, Felix shuffled after her- the doberman ignoring his wincing and moaning behind her as the sharp pebbles poked into his feet.

"You're still so smart to make that connection," Felix glowed out loud to her as he paused to shake some of the protruding pebbles from his soft paws. He watched them go flying for a moment before rushing to close the physical gap being made between him and Calhoun.

"Hmm...keep you goo-goo eyes in your head there, Casanova," she snorted and rolled her eyes in response- yet couldn't help but good-naturedly smirk down at him. "I'm just basing my theory on what I've heard through the grapevine. Apparently, the pooches over in the K-9 unit of Sugar Russia have come up with a similar theory that could be true as well... And they are trying to focus their efforts on it, doing the best to prove it to their human commanders, in fact."

Clearing her throat, Calhoun shook her head- a rare look of sympathy coming across her face. The look of softness on her face and the warm glow of the streetlamps above made her facial features even more distinct and gorgeous in Felix' opinion.

Looking down to meet his eyes for a brief moment, the elegance doberman painfully continued.

"That poor city's K9 unit. As strong and capable as they are, they have pretty much given up all hope and effort in keeping the mutates at bay in their tiny, fragile town...Which is why we put in a request for one of their canines to help us out in Arcadia, where the mutates are streaming to." She sighed softly- before her soft face was overtaken by her trademark, tough dog scowl yet again. "Instead, what we 'got' was that stupid, collar-stealing burn bag you tentatively call you friend."

Before Felix could wince in his place, the doberman stopped abruptly yet again- the sound of faraway human voices and a new smell of burning oil starting to fill her senses all at once. Swiveling her head around to try to identify where the smell and voices were coming from, she looked to her far left- and after squinting considerably, she saw something large and long and inanimately still. Beside said object were multiple humans outlines as well, rushing around and even climbing on top of the still object.

Stepping off the road and onto the grassy area beside her, she squinted that much more ahead- and finally the object's faint outline became what looked like a lifeless train. The long, large locomotive was apparently sitting still on a track running south- and the people operating it were clearly and rapidly getting it ready to finish its journey.

"Look! A train!" Calhoun told her male companion, who was cocking his head around in trying to figure what the object was as well. "We can hop on the tail end of it where no one will see us and get out on the stop just before Sugar Russia. It'll save us a day and a half of a journey, if not more."

A corgi wiggle overtaking him, Felix smiled widely as he bounced after her, already starting to trot towards the caboose.

"That's brilliant, Tam- er, _Calhou_ _n!"_ he quickly corrected himself, silently pleading that she didn't notice he had almost said her first name.

When she did nothing in reply but give an eye roll, the corgi just continued to beam excitedly.

"Ooh, and the train ride will save us from having to walk on such a rough road," he commented with a wide smile, his small paws already thanking him. "My dogs are barking something _awful!"_

And for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Sergeant Tamora Calhoun actually laughed out loud.


	69. Chapter 68: The Mightnight Train

**Chapter 68: The Midnight Train**

Her black, sleek form blending into the night, Calhoun crawled alongside the train tracks for a moment, her skilled nose smelling for any humans coming close by where she and Felix were venturing. She could hear voices of a man loudly calling out that the train would be leaving in the next few minutes- but the voice came from the front of the train, far down the line where Felix and Calhoun were.

Upon not seeing -nor smelling- any other creatures at their end of the train, the sergeant crept closer the backend of the train's cherry red caboose car.

Straightening up, the doberman saw the door leading into the cabin car was wide open, the steps leading up into it beckoning her and the corgi to come aboard.

"If I'm not mistaken, this train runs clear down near Whack-A-Hole Ville," Calhoun looked down to whisper to the corgi by her front paws. "We hop on this train, get off near that town, and we'll be right near Sugar Russia."

"Perfect!" The corgi squealed softly in response, wiggling his tail end happily.

Smirking, the doberman peered one last time around the train's tail end- and quickly scrambled forward, agilely darting to stand right before the steps. With tall street lines littered on the other side of the tracks, Felix saw Calhoun jerk her head forward, silently commanding the corgi to come closer as well.

Tiptoeing to stand by her side once more, Felix watched as Calhoun cautiously yet easily raced up the steps leading up the caboose. Once on the platform the steps lead to, the doberman then turned to eye down at the smaller dog- who was quickly attempted to discreetly scamper up the steps as well.

They both quickly realized that the first step was a little too tall for the short corgi, though- and despite how much he tried to balance, jump, step, wiggle, scramble himself onto it, Felix just couldn't get onto that first rung. He even backed up a few good feet to get a running head start, attempting to launch himself up- but his short, corgi legs just weren't long enough to clear the jump, nearly causing him to ram his head into the bottom of the step.

"Last call!" The train's apparent conductor called out loudly, a quick warning for all his men far at the front end of the train to quickly climb aboard. "The train leaves in the next 30 seconds! All passengers should be on board and ready for departure!"

Looking at Calhoun wide, apologetic eyes, Felix whimpered and flattened his ears.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, there was no way the corgi to get on the train without her help.

Snarling in annoyance, Calhoun quickly got the message and rolled her eyes, quickly scampering back down the steps.

"You _really_ need to grow a few inches there, Short Stack," she hissed as she hoped off the last step- and started pushing Felix' fluffy back end up the first rung, giving him a bit of a lift.

Right as he was flailing to get the rest of his body up onto the step, a loud train whistle erupted- causing the corgi to jump in alarm and fall right off Calhoun's nose.

Without much more of a warning, the train suddenly became mobile, slowly starting to chug down the tracks- and slowly started pulling away.

As Felix shook off his stumble, Calhoun just groaned loudly- her anxiety climbing as the locomotive started chugging forward. It was going to be extremely difficult -if not _impossible_ \- getting on now that the train was moving.

"Come on, corgi!" The doberman quickly hissed, beginning to nervously jog beside the train. "We've got to hurry or this train will completely take off without us!"

Her heavy trot quickly becoming a gallop, the doberman's long, slender legs pounded the harsh dirt ground underneath them. Quickly closing in on the steps, Calhoun was about to expertly launch herself up and climb up on the ladder- before her feet suddenly sped to a stop.

Flipping her head to look behind her, the doberman saw that her corgi companion was trying to race as fast as he could- yet still quite aways behind her. He was noticeably failing miserably to catch up to her, his large ears flapping behind him as he panted so hard it looked like he was about to kill over at any second.

His short legs were no match for catching up the moving train, the doberman quickly realized...leaving with her only one option.

Jerking her head back towards the train, she saw it was already now several hundred feet ahead of them- gaining faster and faster speed.

Deciding now was the time to act, the doberman groaned and turned to bolt back towards the now collapsed and slightly wheezing corgi. Quickly -but gently- Calhoun had no choice but to pick Felix up by the cuff of his neck, his fur tickling her nose and threateningly about to make her squeeze.

Forcing her legs to move forward and to gain pick up speed despite the plump corgi in her mouth, the police dog rushed after the train. Her paws began thundering and shaking on the ground, kicking up gravel behind her as she attempted to double her speed. Her lean, agile body shot forward like a bullet flying through the air- and within seconds, both her and Felix were near the tail end of the train.

Her strong force and incredible speed justled the small corgi around in her mouth, making Felix wince repeatedly. He balled himself up the most he could, silently hoping he wasn't too heavy her.

Closing the gap between them and the train, the doberman eyed the steps of the caboose as she ran, trying to calculate if she needed to be closer into order to jump. Deciding to take a chance, she launched into the air and gripped onto the first step, her back legs dangling dangerously too close to the train's rail wheels.

As Calhoun suddenly opened her mouth and practically spit him out, Felix stumbled forward and scrambled up the steps. Turning around to face Calhoun, he saw she was now wincing, clearly in pain for some unseen reason- and, more concerning, that she was starting to slip off the step.

The corgi gasped, his large ears flapping at the strong wind whipping them around as the train only picked up more and more speed. About to scramble down the steps in order to help pull her on the step, Felix began to panic-

When amazing, Calhoun gritted her teeth in determination and pressed her paws hard into the rung. Her gripping proving to be strong enough, she forced her long front legs to slowly pull herself safely on board.

Sighing with great relief, Felix quickly backed up so the doberman climbed up the stairs and up onto the small platform, greatly limping as she did.

Collapsing down now that she was safely on the caboose, Calhoun panted. As she continued to wince slightly, the corgi began shaking.

"Are- are you ok, Calhoun?" He asked cautiously, slowly approaching her right before the light corgi was suddenly jerked forward, caused by train as it chugged over a bump on the track. He would've crash right into Calhoun if he hadn't dug into paws into the platform as hard as he did.

"I'm peachy, Short Stack," the doberman sarcastically responded as she slowly stretched her front leg out, clenching her teeth as she did. "Almost got run over by a train is all."

Not picking up on her sarcasm, the corgi instead gasped.

"Calhoun! Your leg!" He yipped, crawling forward as the locomotive got a little bit more stable on the track. His small face crumbled as he saw that part of the doberman's leg was starting to turn a dark, dark red. "Y-you're bleeding!"

Finally eyeing down at her own front leg, Calhoun saw then too that Felix was indeed correct, her blood-soaked fur almost blending in with the rest of her pitch-black fur. As she quickly licked it for a moment, the two saw under the quickly-passing street lamps that there was a medium-sized cut on the doberman's leg, caused by the sharp, hidden edges of the stairs she had to harshly scramble up.

"Eh," Calhoun shrugged impassively, "a little blood never killed anyone."

Felix, though, couldn't help but worriedly notice as she stiffly and cautiously moved her hurt leg into a more comfortable positioned.

"Are you sure, Calhoun?" He asked in concern, sniffing her leg gently. "That looks like a pretty bad cut..."

Eyeing him, the doberman saw the unfairly adorable corgi as he cocked his head over to the side, somehow cute worry filling his face.

"I'll be A-OK after a few minutes, Short Stack. Really," she assuaged him, more for his sake than ever for hers. "Just gotta let it clot up."

Rolling her eyes at his concern, the doberman smirk...almost forgetting what it felt like for someone to be so concerned over her...

Not liking the familiar feeling starting to the surface in her heart, Calhoun abruptly looked out and onto the tracks seeming to travel behind them. The train was now moving so fast it makes the tracks almost blur before her eyes, the tall street lamps' dashing glows not helping as she tried to focus on something - _anything_ , in fact, but the corgi still staring at her.

The now smooth, constant movement of the train was almost soothing, gently cooing the doberman's fast-beating heart into a state of calmness-

Before feeling a gentle, wet item started to brush up against her cut leg.

Jerking her head to the side, Calhoun's tough face somewhat melted to see Felix softly licking her cut, his tongue cooling and gentle against her scrap.

Her heart picking up its pace yet again, the police dog regrettably saw that the corgi's face was so soft and caring and _worried_ as he licked.

Instantly, Calhoun found herself gulping. It felt so soft yet strangely stinging, so odd yet so familiar... so _amazing_ yet so terrifyingly to have this care over her...

Perhaps, even _his_ care in particular...

Suddenly pausing in his caressing, Felix raised his head, his ears laying low behind the back of his head. His face had an empathetic smile stretched across it, and his deep, _deep_ baby blue eyes clearly revealed that he'd do something- _anything_ , in fact, that would help her heal...

Making Calhoun's heart pound harder than before as she realized that such gentle care over her was doing just that.


	70. Chapter 69: Natural Instincts

**Chapter 69: Natural Instincts**

Becoming flat-out _afraid_ of the feeling starting to promptly swallow her whole, Calhoun suddenly pulled her damaged leg back- and gave the corgi once licking it an icy glare.

Didn't he know she was fully capable of taking care of herself, independent to the largest degree? Couldn't Felix see that the solid doberman would be, as she had stated earlier, completely and utterly fine...

Why couldn't this corgi just truly understand that Calhoun would rather face being in brief physical pain, enduring it all on her own...

Than feel lasting, deep, _emotional_ pain...with someone Calhoun was slowly but undeniably getting closer and closer to overtime...

"Listen, Short Stack," she harshly hissed, interrupting her own line of thought as she shot Felix a heartless scowl. "I don't know what stunt you're trying to pull here, but I'm fully competent when it comes to taking care of myself. I can lick my own wounds, endure my own pain. I'm not weak in the slightest- and it's absolutely _infuriating_ you think that I am."

Wincing back, Felix flattened his ears and immediately looked like he'd been assaulted- causing a slightly guilty Calhoun to look away.

"I- I don't think you are weak at all, Calhoun!" The hurt corgi quickly denied, backing up on the platform a little to give her clearly desired space. "I would _never_ think that- and I apologize if I ever made you feel like you were. I- I was just wanting to help you get better is all..."

Lowering his head in some sort of shame, Felix gulped in the pain starting to nip at him. He _hated_ when he got in trouble for any reason- but this was strangely and somehow worse than ever before...

"I don't need any help," the doberman just huffed arrogantly in respond- yet still stiffly moving her leg as she slowly stood up. "I can manage on my own. Always have and always will."

Still limbing, she cautiously made her way over to the rails at the tip of the caboose. Peering out over the edge at the railway track as it seemed to grow from under the train, the doberman almost felt dizzy at how fast they were now traveling. The gushing of wind caused by the high speeds of the locomotive whipped Calhoun's small ears around- and caused her to get a very faint yet still distinct whiff of a certain bull mastiff.

Still behind her, Felix looked on in awe as the lamp posts now on both sides of the train tracks created a light, mysterious glow that bounced off Calhoun's shiny fur. They somehow caused her defined, sleek form to become a little less sharp and more soft in appearance- making the doberman somehow all the more beautiful to the corgi's eyes.

He watched as her slender form turned to look down briefly at her hurt leg- and he saw her unmistakably resist the urge to cringe.

"This cut is nothing but a bit of blood and a dash of ache," Felix heard Calhoun suddenly say as her frame turned to mysteriously look back out over the edge of the train. "No big deal. 'Sides, I've been through far worse pain than this, trust me..."

In her place on the edge of the caboose, the doberman couldn't help but instantly close her eyes and bite her lip. All she suddenly wanted was to desperately and at least briefly block out all of the input starting to swallow her.

The feelings, the memories...the echoing, harsh, _way_ too loud silence screaming at her...

Physically wilting, the strong doberman finally couldn't hold back her wince any longer- only not from the biting throb shooting up her leg into her forearm this time.

 _I've said too much_ , her mind instantly warned her pathetically soft, _I-I'm feeling too much, remembering too much..._

And as the corgi slowly crept to stand at her side -and peered up at her with those deep, kind, disgustingly sympathetic eyes of his- Calhoun knew what he would ask next.

It was inevitable, undoubtedly going to happen. It was what _everyone_ asked her eventually when the tough, closed-off sergeant mentioned anything, even if it was in the vaguest detail.

Some asked solely just to pry into her past affairs; others were well aware of her emtional injuries and just purposely wanted to bring up hurtful feelings. But this time, the one questioning Calhoun would be asking out of sincere care and concern, of course...

But that didn't make those painful memories and even worse feelings of hers any less intense or lighter to bear...Or any easier to talk about.

"W-what do you mean?" Felix finally pressed cautiously, not wishing to hurt her any more than he subconsciously felt that he had.

He was afraid of pushing her away or too far, afraid of what she may answer or snap or growl at him...

But the corgi needed to know. _Had_ to know the truth at this point.

It was the only way he could think of to possibly help the fierce police dog. Help heal her. Help _fix_ her...

But Calhoun quickly shook the despairing look free from her eyes. Shut down the bitter emotions starting to stream in. Acted out of pure instinct. Blocked every single painful memory she couldn't bear to think of now- well knowing that such efforts could only last for so long...

Especially with Felix around.

"It doesn't matter, Corgi. Past injuries are long gone by now," the doberman finally lied out, her voice making it clear she wasn't too keen on discussing any details of her personal life. "And what's happened in the past is just that. In the past- and I'm one for leaving it there, right where it belongs."

By her paws, the corgi peered up, still seeing trances of the undeniable look of pain in her beautiful yet dark eyes.

 _Say somethin'! Say somethin' now! _Felix' mind screamed at him, startling the corgi had how strong and pushy his mental voice was suddenly. _You've got to know the truth! It's the only way you can successfully help her, Felix! Choose words that will help her to see she can talk to you about her past!..._

But before Felix could even squeak out a suitable answer, one that would be somewhat inviting for Calhoun to open up, the sergeant rolled her eyes and looked back out onto the tracks.

"This isn't 'Sergeant Calhoun Story Hour'," she added, her pointed ears smooth up against her head in seriousness. "We've got far more important thing we need to discuss."

At her cutting words, Felix wilted slightly- but perked up a bit to look up at her, especially as her last few words sunk in.

"What do you mean?" He asked gently. "What 'far more important things' do you want to discuss?"

"Our action plan, especially once we get to Sugar Russia," the doberman stoically told him, causing the corgi to cock his head in curiosity. "Mostly that plan consists of us searching for Ralph as efficient- and as safe- as possible. That means you must glue you stubby little tail as close to my side as possible the entire time we're in that scorpion-possessed town. You got that, cadet?"

At her plan, Felix immediately cocked his head in confusion.

Calhoun _did_ have more experience in the police methodology- so maybe there was a reason behind her tactic...

But sticking together the whole time he and Calhoun were in Sugar Russia? _That_ sure didn't sound very efficient to the corgi. At all.

Sure, her idea posed was the safest, for both her and Felix. But in all honesty, Felix just wanted to find Ralph as fast as possible and just go home...and it'd take twice as long to find him if the corgi and doberman stuck together.

Not wanting her to think he was challenging her approach in any way, the corgi pursed his furry lips together.

"Well...of course, we'll stick together most of the time," Felix finally commented, carefully and delicately piecing his words together as he kept close to her side. "But... wouldn't it kinda make more sense if when we get to the city to _split up_ and look for Ralph that way?"

Whipping her head to glare down at him, Calhoun's eyed the corgi in full-fledged indignation. Outrage. Anger...

And with a growing look of panic, doubt- and fear.

"I've heard Sugar Russia is kinda on the small side," the naive corgi continued, pondering as he looked out over the tracks instead of up the slowly wheezing doberman. "And we would cover a lot more ground a lot faster if we just-"

"What are you, _thick?!"_ The sergeant interrupted loudly beside him, making the small dog nearly jump out of his fur. "That town has the highest mutated scorpion count in the entire _state!_ It's like a war-zone there!! It's even dangerous for a well-trained police dog to venture into, let alone a naive, untrained, small _mutt_ like you! You want to die, corgi?!"

"N-no, Tamora!" Felix blurt out as he backed up slightly in fear- not even realizing he had accidentally said her first name out loud. "I was just suggesting that we make the most of our time, a-and-"

Looking back up, he winced and stopped talking immediately when he saw the near killer look Calhoun was now giving him. He couldn't tell if she was more beyond irritated because he wasn't jumping on board with her plan or because he had accidentally slipped out her beautiful name...

One that he had no idea had so many painful memories connected to it...

Shuttering all over again, the doberman began to snarl viciously at the shivering corgi before her. Her eyes were the darkest Felix had ever seen them, the raw look of anger eclipsing their natural beauty.

"All you were suggesting is your _death_ , mutt!" She hollowed, unintentionally beginning to tower over a cowarding Felix. "You stray from my side for one moment in time and you'll end up a mere _practice-target_ to those scorpions!"

Starting to stock towards him, the intimating yet noticeably desperate and protective doberman leaned over into Felix' face. Getting dangerous too close to him, she nearly caused him to slip right over the edge of the platform.

"I've stated it once and I'll only state this one last time, mutt," she hissed with her small ears practically glued down to her head, the murderous look in her narrowed eyes sending a raw chill up Felix' spine. "You stick by my side. _At. All. Times_. And that's an order!! You got that?!"

Calhoun's flat-out screaming words echoed for a moment around the caboose car, seeming to shake the train more than even the now uneven tracks did. One roaring echo finally seemed to reach her ears- and for the first time, she realized a rippling shiver was overtaking the corgi before her.

Paralyzed down to the platform, Felix shook and looked up at her with beyond confusion, with extreme fear... In unsettling pain...

Quickly blushing and looking away -more from a mixture of anger, embarrassment and guilt than any one known cause- Calhoun sighed and closed her eyes. Swallowing down her unchecked anger, she forced her snarl to disappear and to be replaced with a disgruntled frown.

Finally looking back at the corgi again, the miserable doberman saw that Felix was a little less tense than before and was standing up at bit straighter- calming her a bit. But as she peered closer at him, she saw that the corgi also had a marked look of resentment -and that familiar look of giving up- starting to grow on his small, now pouting face.

 _Great_ , Calhoun thought bitterly, more annoyed with herself than the corgi. _Now look what you've done, Calhoun. You've distanced yourself from yet another animal- one who is just attempting to help fix your messed up life with your beyond intense anger..._

 _You've just pushed Felix away because of your stupid instincts..._

 _Never mind any of that,_ she then demanded herself, shaking her head as more and more gentleness overtook her. _Just fix this. Now._

Sighing loudly, the doberman decided to try and make peace.

"Listen, Short Stack-"

"Felix," a small but firm voice interrupted, coming from none other than the corgi himself. His eyes a strange level of dark, he sat down and looked surprisingly sharply up at the doberman. "All due respect, Sergeant Calhoun, but my name is _Felix_. Not Short Stack."

Raising an eyebrow, Calhoun looked down at him, beyond stupefied. She immediately began uneasy and even more worried by the unusually sharp tone in his voice. That wasn't like Felix at all.

 _I've pushed him too far away now..._

"Right. _Felix_ ," she quickly corrected herself, nodding slowly in his direction- before sincerely regetting her outburst. "Listen, Felix- I...I truly apologize for snapping at you like that."

Sighing once more, the doberman looked towards the tracks, watching them as the seemed to blur together.

"It's just that- well, you've just got to- understand that I..." The tired doberman stumbled over her words, trying so hard to put things in to words...

To explain without explaining. To tell the truth- but not the _whole_ truth. To go defensively along with her natural instincts...yet still somewhat wanting to abandon them all the same...

To keep every dark, painful secret in without let them slip out everywhere, being out in the scary, exposed open.

At this point, it'd almost even be easier to just did tell Felix everything, Calhoun halfheartedly realized- _a lot_ easier, in fact, than trying to keep it all in anymore.

Saying the whole truth would help to explain a lot to Felix, she knew as well. It would give a reason to him why the closed-off doberman was so cold, why she was always haunted by a dark cloud looming over her.

It would help him understand why Calhoun was so defensive and harsh and trying so hard to appear a lot tougher than she really felt inside...

Maybe there would be other benefits to him knowing, too. Maybe it wouldn't allow Calhoun past to control her actions and reactions so much if she just allow it out of her mind and heart and into the air. Perhaps it would sort out the unwelcomed memories and seemingly unhealthy emotions that were beyond taking over her life...

And maybe, just maybe...Felix _could_ actually help her heal and somewhat fix the horror she'd been through.

All if Calhoun just trusted him enough to do so- and if she could really go against her natural instincts.

For the first time since she could remember, Sergeant Tamora Calhoun was about spill out the truth -the whole truth- teetering on the edge of her lips...

But as she looked back at the slowly softening yet still puzzled corgi, the still unsure and... _afraid_ doberman panicked, closing off all over again. She now found it ridiculous she even thought about going against her natural instincts; those inclinations were there for a reason, after all.

And now every single one of her instincts was telling her to not let Felix known the unspoken truth.

As yet another tired sigh escaped her lips, Calhoun eyed Felix and quickly resorted to doing what she did best.

Just take charge with no questions ask.

"Just follow my lead, ok?" She finally told the corgi softly, her eyes pleading for him to just agree. Things were just easier that way. "I know what I'm doing there, Short St- Felix. I'm well trained for this... and you're just not. S-splitting up-"

A numbing shiver rippling up her spine as she trailed off, she brifely saw Felix looking at her with now softer, intuitive eyes.

 _If only he knew.._.

"Splitting up is just not an option," she finally and pointedly told him, an undeniable wobble in her tone- startling Felix more than the darkest look in her eyes ever could. "I don't need or take suggestions...anymore, at least. We are staying together. _At all time._ Understand?"


	71. Chapter 70: Turbo's Story

**Chapter 70: Turbo's story**

 **(Quick A/N: Finally get to explain who Turbo is in this story lol (side note: the previous chapters were mostly written just to have some extra fluff for Calhoun and Felix ;D They strayed majorly from the plot- but added to their growing relationship ;))**

 **Whereas the other characters have been fairly easy to 'transfer over' into this Dog AU, making Turbo's character (and his backstory) fit into the storyline has been kinda a tricky one to handle. Honestly, I was grasping at straws for a while, trying to figure out how to make him effectively make sense and add to the story (he was a very MAJOR, IN-DEPTH character in the movie, after all, lol).**

 **But I was finally able to concoct something that hopefully makes sense lol As a result, though, this Turbo has a completely different story than what WiR Turbo did (one that may make people pity him more?)...but I feel it will transfer over well in later chapters. Hope all enjoy and as always, thanks for reading!! :D)**

As the train trudged along down the long stretch of tracks, its unsee cargo in the back sat at the edge in a still silence. All the corgi and the doberman could do was just pursed their furry lips together and stared out over the railing of the caboose, both of their minds running amuck.

For the first time since they met, Felix wasn't rambling on about who-knew-what, nor was he making goo-goo eyes at a certain doberman beside him. And in turn, Calhoun wasn't snarling and smirking down at him, annoying yet intrigued by the talkative, chipper corgi she was slowly begging to view as a friend.

For once in each of their lives, neither pooch knew what to say.

Both were secretly too afraid to speak anymore- especially to the other. They both felt they had already done a lot of emotional damage on the other and were beyond scared of pushing them even further away than they felt like they had...

And even though they were both feeling a mixture of very different emotions, each dog oddly welcomed the silence.

As the usual train sounds were the only noise filling the air, Felix sat in reticence, having nothing of importance to say. And Calhoun was all too stoic-

Up until a new line of thought hit her, causing one of her large, dark ears to twitch slightly.

"So...what's his deal, anyway?" She asked Felix suddenly, startlingly the corgi a little at hearing her speak.

Overcoming his shock of her unexpected words, Felix eyed up at the doberman- feeling that he, as usual, had completely missed something.

"Umm... Who now?"

"Ralph," the sergeant responded as if it was obvious, her eyes serious as she continued to peer over the edge of the railing. "What's his deal, huh? Why'd he _really_ go A-WOL on ya- despite, of course, that immature disagreement he made with one of the other dogs in your pet shop," she added with an eye roll.

"Oh," Felix connected before biting his lip- somewhat unsure of how to truly answer her. "Well, that disagreement is really just _half_ the story, Calhoun. I think it all goes back much further -and much deeper- than that..."

"Interesting," Calhoun mused as she raised a tan eyebrow, her eyes wandering down to look at him. "How so, Felix?"

"Well... see, Ralph has been the guard dog of out pet shop for five years now, protectin' us at all times," he told her, his voice slowly filling with more and more shame. "But the other dogs in the shop call him- well...a _bad dog._ Really for just doing his job and for him bein' his large size and all."

At his shocking words, the doberman jerked her head down to fully look at the cringing corgi sitting at her feet.

Sure, Ralph made some pretty bad choices...but calling another dog a flat-out _bad dog_ like that, especially for him just doing his job or over things he couldn't control...

"Well, that's lower than a dachshund's stomach," Calhoun couldn't help but hiss irately under her breath.

"I know, right? I think it's wrong, too," Felix agreed quickly, his large orange ears slowly falling behind his head as a new reality hit him. "Well, at least, _now_ I do. I've never known what it felt like to be called a bad dog... but now I can only imagine how much it must hurt... How much it must have hurt _Ralph_..."

Her rich, ebon eyes growing soft, Calhoun felt a strange smile of sympathy tug at her lips- but quickly swallow it down as Felix continued.

"Anyways, Ralph wanted to live inside the pet shop with us and all," the corgi lamented, "and to gain the respect and approval he wanted, too...Which I guess a good collar would've earned for him..."

Pausing, Felix crumbled a bit as he winced, afraid what of Calhoun's response would be at his words. When she said nothing, however, the corgi shook his large head and sighed, regaining his earlier guilt and pain.

"But I never thought Ralph would make a deal like that...," he gulped, his baby blue eyes widening. "A-and.. just go _Turbo_ like that-"

"You keeping mentioning this Turbo fellow," Calhoun interrupted with a look of curiosity. "What -or who- is this Turbo?"

"Oh... I guess you hadn't heard the story of him, then," the corgi realized then, looking back up at her in surprise as he began. "Well, Turbo was a fairly well-known dog in Arcadia back in the day. He seemed to have it all for many years: being called a good dog, with a good life with a good owner. In fact, Turbo had the life that _every_ dog in town wished to have. The relationship he had with his owner was super close. Those two did everythin' together- you know: lots of dog parks, drive-in movies, goin' on walks twice a day, and whatnot. They were always, always seen together, practically inseparable- and Turbo sure let everyone else know about it, that's for sure. If he wasn't with his owner, that pit bull was braggin' about how strong their relationship was.

"But then things for Turbo...changed all of a sudden," Felix continued cautiously. "His owner's new girlfriend moved in with them and...well, after that, things just went downhill for Turbo. His owner started to not take him anywhere anymore and just left him at home a lot. They were rarely ever seen together anymore- and it seemed like we barely even saw Turbo anymore. And then all of a sudden, we found out why. Turbo's owner had started _chainin' him up_ outside- somethin' that Turbo wouldn't ever really explain why-"

"Well, two's a company, three's a crowd. Sounds like a conflict of interest was happening there," Calhoun bluntly intruded as she gradually laid down on the platform- making sure she was going easy on her still aching leg. "Seen it happen a million times before."

Besides her, Felix cocked his head to the side.

"Say what now?" he asked innocently in his rich deep accent.

Smirking at his naivety, the doberman rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Felix over with her long snout.

"It's a fancy way of saying that I think Turbo and his owner's new girlfriend didn't quite get along. She may've even been afraid of him as a pit bull," she explained as the corgi quickly scrambled back up and shook his head clear of the gentle shove. "So when it came down to it, his owner had to choose either the girl or the dog- and evidently chose the girl. Sounds like he somewhat abandoned Turbo without _actually_ abandoning him. As I said, I've seen it happen countless times- especially with pit bulls."

"I guess that makes sense," the corgi replied, biting the inside of his lip in an overly cute way as he thought. "That would explain a lot...like how after his owner died, Turbo wasn't taken in by the girlfriend. He was just placed quickly in the pound."

"Ooh, ouch. Losing an owner, then going from a home to a pound? Tough break," Calhoun whistled softly. "What happened to his owner?"

"I dunno," Felix shrugged, scooting over to lay down right beside the doberman. "Some sort of trauma to his head and face, I heard. Turbo was the only animal who knew for sure what had happened- and since he was in the pound at that point, nothin' was ever confirmed through the gossip spread around town...

"But what's sad, too, is that once in the pound, Turbo never got adopted out again, never got a second chance," the corgi explained sadly. "Not only did he have to deal with the grief of losing his owner, but when people would come in to adopt a dog out, they'd take one look at him and label him _a bad dog_ , solely based on his breed as a pit bull, I guess...

"At any rate, Turbo got sick of it all and somehow escape the pound," Felix continued as he laid his head down on his paws. "And within days, he quickly became notorious in the town by all dogs around for being vicious and cruel, crafty and manipulative. Some even claimed he had told them in private that Turbo _himself_ had killed his owner, although he denied it, of course. Point was, he was no longer called a good dog with a good life...

"He became a flat-out bad dog all of a sudden. It was as if all the pain he'd gone through made a sudden shift happen in his DNA, or who he was as a dog, or somethin' crazy..."

"Impossible," Calhoun scoffed his theory off, rolling her eyes yet again. "A dog can't just change his DNA like that. Change in personality due to emotional wounds, yeah...," she mumbled out softly, "but you can't just change who you are. A leopard can't just lose its spots."

"Yeah, I guess," the corgi agreed softly, although not sounding so sure. "Something seemed to snap in him, though...Anyways, Turbo ended up livin' and hidin' in the same junkyard that _Ralph_ did for years. They both, with several other abandoned or disregarded dogs labeled as bad, had formed a strong pack... with Turbo as their harsh leader. He practically bullied the other pack members into submission and tried to make them become vicious, bad dogs like him. He even made each of them swear that none of them would ever bond with a human or be adopted by one- for 'their own protection', as Turbo claimed."

"Jeez," the doberman beside Felix broke in, shaking her head in a stupor. "That Turbo mutt sounded a little embittered...and toxic, really. Those two emotions never mix very well."

"But you can't really blame him, though," the sympathetic corgi told her, his eyes wide and compassionate. "Turbo had been hurt so bad... He had every right to be embittered."

"Maybe," Calhoun mused, "but he was allowing himself to become embittered over something he couldn't even control. As much as he may've wanted to, Turbo couldn't _control_ his owner died, nor could he _control_ the stigma attached to his breed, either."

The doberman abruptly paused to sigh, now avoiding looking at the corgi beside her at all cost.

"And even more so, Turbo couldn't control that his owner fell in love with someone," she admitted dangerously softly. " _No one_ can control a power or a force that strong..."

"Th-that's true...," Felix connected slowly, unable to look anywhere but Calhoun all at once- which made the doberman squirm uncomfortably.

Shaking his head hard to clear it of any mushy feelings threatening to surface inside it, the corgi sighed.

"Anyways, one day Zangief, a husky in their pack, was found and then got adopted as a family dog," he voiced, "and the others saw how happy he was and wanted that life instead of what they had. So slowly, one by one, the other dogs became useful family pets as well. Or, in Ralph's case, became the guard dog for the pet shop.

"Then Turbo kinda lost it; couldn't handle the pain of rejection- all over again, I guess...That, and he was no doubt jealous all the others got adopted but he didn't yet again. At least, that's what Ralph thinks," Felix pointed out.

"Because of it all, Turbo had reached a breaking point. One day he swore loudly to all the other dogs, former pack members or not, that he would be a good dog and gain a good life -and get another owner," the corgi raised his eyebrows. "He'd even change his look, he said, somehow magically becoming an actual good dog breed if he had to...and that everyone who betrayed him would pay. After that, he was never seen again."

Feeling a strange shiver running up her back, the doberman looked right at the corgi now shivering himself beside her.

"What ever began of him?" She asked curiously.

"No one really knows," the corgi admitted mysteriously. "Even now that years have passed, he's never been truly spotted. Some dogs claim they saw him in some town in the south awhile back; others say you can still see himself roaming through the back streets of Arcadia, though I think that's just a myth."

Sitting back up, the corgi went airborne for a moment as the train hit a bump in the track.

"A part of me thinks that although he was once well-loved by his owner at one point, Turbo was just really bad to his core," he suddenly surprised Calhoun by saying as he regained his footing. "And although he wanted to change it and be good, maybe Turbo -wherever he is now- will never be able to _be_ good...and not just because of his breed."


	72. Chapter 71: Unexpected Surprise

**Chapter 71: Unexpected Surprise**

Glazing scrutinizingly at the corgi laying beside her, Calhoun raised another tan eyebrow his way.

"And I guess...Ralph had reached his own breaking point- and decided to imitate Turbo by running off to change," she connected, now seeing how the phrase was coined. "Thus 'going Turbo'."

"Exactly," Felix unhappily confirmed, his ears dropping low again. "Ralph was tired of being called -and _treated_ \- like a bad dog. I can't really blame him for wantin' to leave..."

His blue eyes blankly looking around at a lost for words, the orange corgi bit his furry lip.

"I can't believe he just went Turbo like that, though!" He expressed in forlorn astonishment yet again, laying his head back down on the platform in grief.

"Well, a selfish dog is like a mangy cat chasing a cautionary string," Calhoun told him simply, her voice serious and mysterious as she crossed her front legs delicately.

"I know, right?" Felix quickly agreed as he nodded- although a bit densely. He had no idea what Calhoun meant by that, but it sounded good.

Pausing just long enough to sigh, the corgi looked east to see that the sky was starting to lighten in color, the sun slowly approaching the horizon. The beautiful hues of the upcoming sunrise warmed him all over in moment of calmness, enough to stretch his back paws out in contentment...

Until he realized it was the start of the second day that Ralph had been gone.

So much could happen in one day, Felix well knew...So much could've happened to Ralph in one day...

And even though his scent followed down south, that didn't necessarily mean Ralph was ok...or that he was even _alive_ at this point anymore...

His poor stomach churning at the horrible thought of anything happening to Ralph, Felix found himself feeling beyond remorseful- again. He tucked his back paws back under the safety of his belly and sighed once more.

"I can't help but feel partially responsible for this whole mess," he moaned miserably out loud, more to himself than Calhoun as he flopped his head back down on his paws. "Maybe Ralph wouldn't have run off had I just spoke up and defended him. But I didn't..."

Still sitting beside him on the caboose, the doberman felt her suppressed smile finally surface on her face. This corgi was too kind-hearted for his own good.

"Don't blame yourself too much, Felix," she told him softly, her voice the most sympathetic Felix had ever heard it. "Defended or not, being called a bad dog still didn't give Ralph a valid reason to run off like a rooster in a pack of wolves. He simply had a duty and needed to do it, no matter what."

"Well, that duty would've been a lot easier if I had just come to his aid...," the corgi pointed out, peering up at her with wide, depressed eyes. "Everyone deserves to feel wanted and to be told they're doin' a good job..."

"Well, maybe so," Calhoun settled as she stood up and peered over the railing, smelling the air for a moment. "But despite how much we may not like a job we have, it's still our responsibility to-"

Abruptly stopping in mid-sentence, the doberman froze in place. Catching Felix off guard, Calhoun's once relaxed body tensed up all over almost instantly as her usually narrowed eyes doubled in size.

Jerking her head to look behind her, the police dog craned her neck to peer into the cabin of the caboose, its unlocked door now slightly ajar at a small gush of wind. The interior of the train car was mostly dark, making it hard to clearly see was lurking just inside. An occasional, pasting streetlamp provided a brief light shining through the small windows, quickly gone before Calhoun could really focus on the cabin's contents.

Her inner instincts to investigate yet to remain cautious kicking in, the trained doberman precautiously ventured forward, a marked look of fear and growing shock surfacing on her face. Her small ears flapping at the great speed the train was going, she gulped as her nose pointed straight ahead in expertise- making her mentally deny the now strong smell it was picking up.

 _No...it can't be..._

Beside her in his own frozen, silent stupor, Felix felt his blue eyes dance back and forth between Calhoun and the ajar cabin door. He had no idea was she had smelled or what she was so focused on now- but he had a hunch that it wasn't good.

Dramatically stopping in the doorframe to inhale deeply, Calhoun felt her eye twitch and her meaty muscles tense up. Her claws automatically began gripping the platform a little harder, her legs strained so much it was almost painful.

How she hadn't smell this before, Calhoun had no idea.

There, just to the left of the inner doorway and tucked beside some small, stacked boxes, was a huge, curled up, and thankfully sleeping mutated scorpion. Its horrifyingly huge stinger was curled up tightly on it's back as it dozed, it's long, sharp legs tucked safely underneath its equally long body. It was twice the size of the fairly decent-sized box it was resting beside- and was intimating enough to make Calhoun gasp quietly.

 _What?!_ _How_ _in the name of Lassie did we not wake this thing up before?!_ She mentally questioned as she slowly but wordlessly backed away from the doorframe. _There is no way it hasn't heard or at least detected us being here..._

Abandoning her unanswered inquires, Calhoun frantically looked down at Felix, causing her to sigh softly and shakily as she did. By the look of his puzzled, worried face, she could tell the easily excitable corgi still had no clue what was just on the other side of the wall he was perched beside.

For a split second, Calhoun seriously debated on whether or not she should even tell Felix about their tagalong traveler. She deep down knew he'd panic -and in turn squawk and freak out so loud it'd be sure to wake the creature up...

So maybe not telling him was in their best interest, she almost decided; they'd gone this long without realizing the scorpion was here with them and vice versa, anyways. And maybe they stayed quiet long enough, it'd stay asleep...at least until they could get off the train- even if that meant they had to make the next stop their exit point instead of pushing their pure dumb luck and saying aboard the train.

Biting her lip, though, the doberman also knew deep down that Felix deserved to know; his life was really in her paws now. If the creature did wake up and started to crawl out of the cabin, the poor corgi would have a heart attack just knowing the scorpion had been on board with them.

And if he knew, she then thought out, he could silently prepare how he would react if it were to wake up, giving him an advantage...

 _At least giving him a heads up about what is inside the caboose will hopefully motivate him to keep his snout shut,_ Calhoun mused wearily, _and that can help us stay safe for as long as possible._

"Ok, listen to me closely, Felix," the doberman finally whispered, her voice barely heard as she tiptoed over to where the corgi stood. "There is a...er...sleeping mutated scorpion just inside the doorway here. But if we-"

 _"WHAT?!"_ Felix screamed loudly in horror immediately, his eyes about to bulge out of their sockets as he gawked at her news. "A- _a scorpion?!_ We've been ridin' around with one of those _things_ right next to us?!"

"Shush!" Calhoun hissed in response, peering over to quickly make sure that the scorpion wasn't stirred awake...and regrettably seeing that it was wiggling around a bit more than before.

Her eyes sharply narrowed, she growled back at corgi, somehow making him panic more. "There is no need to lose our heads if-"

"We're gonna _lose our heads?!"_ The corgi interrupted her as he howled in fear, his ears wildly sticking out at the sides of his head as he began frantically shaking. "This is it! We're goin' to perish before we even find Ralph!!!"

"Get ahold of yourself!" Calhoun spat out loudly without thinking, now forced to use her paw to loudly slam Felix' wide, screeching mouth down onto the platform- not caring as he squealed in pain for a moment. "You're. Going. To. Wake. It. _Up!"_

At the sudden mixture of loud, disturbing noises and now close, strong rumbling under its sleeping quarters, the mutated scorpion was shaken awake as if on cue- and _not_ happy at being awakened from its nap.

Scambling forward to the doorframe, the creature hissed in anger at seeing its moving, breathing alarm clocks out on the platform. Catching both Felix' and Calhoun's immediate attention, the scorpion's eyes started to glow an eerie, familiar neon green as it already started to raise its deadly sharp stinger in defense.

"Look out!" Calhoun screeched as she shoved Felix to the side, causing him to go skidding underneath the low railing.

Scrambling backward herself, Calhoun barely missed getting impaled by the creature's sharp stinger as it struck it forward. She plastered herself up against the railing on the opposite side of where Felix was, ignoring the feeling of sharp pain shooting up her hurt leg.

Disliking that it had missed it's desired target, the scorpion turned to hiss angerly at the doberman- before hearing dog nails scraping frantically behind it. Turning towards the sound, the creature focused its attention on a vulnerable Felix, who was gripping his nails as hard as he could to hold on to the platform. His back half was hanging dangerously off the platform, just moments away from slipping right off the caboose and underneath the train's wheels.

Taking advantage of his helpless state, the mutated beast crawled towards the corgi - and was all too ready to strike him right between his wide, terrified eyes...

When Calhoun courageously leaped forward and grabbed the scorpion by the top of its tail. She bit down hard enough to drag the creature backwards- but reframed from chomping down too hard, afraid of breaking its tail in half...and thus exposing herself to its potentially deadly venom.

The creature a safe distance away from Felix, Calhoun then attempted to swing the scorpion over the railing- but underestimated just how heavy the creature was. After she had successfully gotten most of it over the short railing, the flailing creature swung down and latched onto her chest with its many pairs of legs. Losing her balance, the doberman ended up toppling over the side of the train railing completely.

"Calhoun!" Felix screamed in horror as he watched the doberman go plunging towards the ground, the creature's tail still clutched in her mouth. As he heard them crashed onto the tracks now behind the train, the corgi gasped and scrambled with everything he had to get back onto the platform.

Once all of his paws were safely and firmly back on the caboose, the terrified small dog raced over to the railing at the tip of the train. There he saw that somehow Calhoun - amazingly mostly unharmed- was staggering to her paws on the tracks...and that she still had a firm grip on the scorpions' tail as it wiggled around angrily.

Felix watched for a moment as she tried to place a firm, crushing paw on one of the scorpions' strong pinchers- her attempts made futile as the creature twisted and turned, clearly unhappy at being restrained in her mouth. It pinched and ripped her fur harshly, causing even the tough Calhoun to wince and buckle slightly.

His orange fur standing up on his neck, Felix felt himself panic even more as he stood frozen of the platform. Calhoun and the scorpion were getting further and further away from him- or, in contrast, the corgi was getting carried further and further away from _them_. The train holding the small dog just kept chugging along the tracks, unaware that it lost two of its wrestling passengers along the way- and didn't seem to care that it was creating a gap between the doberman and the loyal corgi.

The distance between them growing by each passing second, Felix trembled unlike anytime he had before. He knew he faced a huge decision: stay in safety on the train that was hopefully going to lead him to Ralph...but practically abandon Calhoun to fend for herself in the process...or jump off this moving train, risking getting killed doing so...and if he _did_ survive such a jump, surely to be killed by the mutated scorpion as he'd go and help Calhoun.

His ears flapping desperately in the wind, the corgi raced over to peer over to railing near the caboose's small ladder, almost instantly feeling sick at seeing the dusty ground blur together. Instead of focusing on just how fast the train was going, he felt his head unwillingly turned back and forth. One moment he was looking at the ever-growing-smaller and still struggling Calhoun; the next, looking in the direction the train was heading, southbound towards where the guard dog of his petshop apparently was...

"The pet shop is depending on you to find him, Felix!" The corgi screamed at himself, nearly enough to cause him to back up on the train- only to instantly feel his gut stabbing at him.

 _But that doberman needs you more! _His mind started to argue forcefully, making him take a hesitant step forward. _Even if you can't save her, it's your duty to protect her!_

Feeling himself starting to heave, Felix allowed his eyes to narrow and his teeth grit together. His ears now plastered up against his head, he dug his claws a little deeper into the platform.

 _Now get ahold of yourself and go save her- and that's an order!!!_

Holding his head up courageously high, Felix decided right then and there a crucial fact.

He was _not_ about to ignore his gut and mind again.


	73. Chapter 72: Joined at the Hip

**Chapter 72: Joined at the hip**

Already forcing his feet towards the caboose' stairs, Felix felt his courage only grow. He was going to be there for Calhoun- even if it meant he had to die trying.

Approaching the first step, though, he gulped and cautiously stepped one paw down onto the rung. Being courageous didn't mean he had to flat-out be stupid, he quickly decided.

The second his paw touched the top step, the train hit a bump on the tracks, causing the unbalanced Felix to dig his remaining paws a little deeper into the platform for stability. Once the bump and it's effects had passed -and all furry paws were finally safely on the first step- the small dog cringed when he was nearly blown off by the sudden rushing air that assaulted him. He realized with a startle that he was technically on the _side_ of the train now, no longer protected by the locomotive to block the forceful wind.

His ears long slapping him repeatedly in the face from the brutal gusts, Felix slowly yet blindly continued his decline down the ladder...

Only for the locomotive to hit another small bump on the track, causing the unprepared Felix to go tumbling right off the steps- and to plunge nose-first to the harsh ground.

Crashing hard onto the dirt ground beside the tracks, the small dog brutally somersaulted few times before finally coming to a slow stop. Opening his blurry eyes for a moment, Felix watched with a growing headache as multiple fazey trains seemed to chug down the track. Blinking a few extra times for good measure, the sets of trains he once saw merged into one final form as his eyes adjusted and focused.

Forcing himself weakly up to his paws, Felix shakily watched as the train he was once on rounded a bend. As it chugged through a long, dark tunnel, the locomotive quickly disappeared from view- causing the corgi to slowly shake his head in a stupor.

Felix the corgi couldn't believe it, but he had tumbled right off a rocketing train- and somehow _didn't die!_

His moment of sheer, exhilarating disbelief only lasted for a moment, however, when Felix remembered the reason he'd gotten off the train in the first place. Perking his ears up, he heard the harsh struggle Calhoun was currently facing in the distance behind him.

Straining as he looked over his shoulder, he saw that she was still exhaustedly wrangling the scorpion around, doing her best to not let it go from her near bone-crushing grip- but was quickly losing strength and stamina to fight it...

And it was clear she couldn't sucessfully hold onto the scorpion much longer.

His eyebrows hunched in determination and valor, Felix immediately took off across the dirt ground beside the tracks towards Calhoun. The corgi's legs racing as fast as he could make them, he focused solely on doberman, somehow still looking beautiful... while wrestling such a deadly, intimidating creature...

Forcing his mind to block out the very real danger he was about to face with said creature, Felix focused on the fact that he had to act. Listen to his gut and to his mind...

And finally be the good dog everyone believed he was.

As he drew closer to the combative duo, the corgi quickly realized that Calhoun was for so absorbed in wrangling the scorpion that she hadn't noticed anything else around her- or that Felix had gotten off the train. She didn't even seem to detect that an orange and white corgi was sprinting towards her...

Until said corgi tried to speed to a halt a few feet in front of her, only to end up tripping and skidding flat on his chin before her paws.

"FELIXH?!" Calhoun screeched in shock with a full mouth, still holding a gradually weakening death grip on the creature between her jaws. "Whath are you thoing here?!"

Forcing himself up on his aching paws, Felix moved his bottom jaw side to side for a moment, making sure he hadn't broken it.

"I'm here to help ya, Calhoun!" He exclaimed quickly, courageously charging forward...but freezing in place as the scorpion twisted around to face him. Clawing the ground underneath it with its many legs, the creature tried to in vain to snap it's large, extremely frightening pinchers at the corgi's face, already hissing at yet another enemy it had to face.

"You should havth noth done thath," the doberman growled as she bit down harder, dragging the creature backward a bit. "You were muth safer on the thain!"

Realizing how true that could very well be, the corgi backed up a bit as the scorpion snarled at him yet again.

"B-but I knew you'd need help!" He exclaimed, his eyes narrowed and chest suddenly puffed out. "You can't possibly defeat this thing without my assistance!"

As she briefly rolled her eyes, Calhoun strained and attempted to pin the amazingly strong scorpion's face down into the ground- noticeably even more desperate to do so now that Felix was here.

"I think I can hanthle thisth quith fine on my own," she growled at the heroic corgi-

Just as the scorpion seemed to anticipate her next move and swung back around to face in her direction. Pinching it's large pinchers haphazardly around, the creature clenched down on one of Calhoun's foreleg- and started to pinch so hard the doberman had no choice but to release an agonizing yelp.

At being freed from its restraining hold, the creature collapsed on the ground and let go of Calhoun's leg. Turning towards its smaller target, the scorpion hissed threateningly at Felix. Before either dog could blink or react, the mutated scorpion charged at the corgi, it's pinchers -and even worse tail- ready to strike and no doubt kill its smaller prey.

Blinking frantically, Felix scrambled quickly backward in terror before turning completely around and running forward. The scorpion was right on his tail- and the short corgi's tiny legs were no match for this creature.

Forcing himself not to trip, the small dog desperately racked his brain for what he could possibly do to stop this thing- or, better yet, _kill_ this thing. Anything that would kill this deadly creature...

When one statement came flashing brightly into his mind.

 _All we can determine as of right now is that those creatures...all completely die when submerged in water..._

Resisting against the urge to coward in place or run away, Felix began to frantically look around for some amount of water, any amount.

Peering at the other side of the furthest train tracks, he saw there was a large puddle of water, left when by an earlier rainstorm the town had experienced. Quickly deciding it was his best bet, the corgi began curved to the left, now heading across the tracks with the creature still hot on his tail...

Neither even seeing that there was another train heading northbound as it quickly chugged down the tracks.

"Felix! Look out!" Calhoun screamed frantically at seeing the other train quickly approaching. She desperately limped forward down the side of the tracks, cursing herself that she was in no condition to race after them to help Felix.

Only now between the two sets of tracks, the corgi looked up to finally see the other train quickly racing down the tracks that he himself was about to run across. About then, the train conductor noticed the two creatures about to run over the tracks and blared his warning horn, attempting to scare them into running a different direction. He was way too close to be able to stop in time.

Deciding to risk it -and to trust his gut- Felix narrowed his eyes forward, plastered his ears up against his head...and forced himself to pick up his pace as he pushed straight ahead towards the second tracks. He could make it- at least, he _hoped_ he could. The dirt ground beside the track was just right there...

The small yet steady corgi jumped over the first raised railing of the track- and quickly became square in the middle of the second track. Relentlessly, the huge locomotive plowed ever ahead, now just inches from where the corgi and the scorpion where.

Holding her breath, Calhoun watched helplessly as the corgi raced on. He attempted to jump to safety, to get just on the other side of the railroad tracks...

As the train bolted forward and crushed the scorpion with one side of its many wheels, killing the creature instantly. Bits and pieces of the scorpion exploded into a million different directions, showering the two tracks with legs and arms.

Gasping, Calhoun blinked repeatedly. For a mere moment in time, she was a strange numb, feeling literally nothing at all.

Maybe she was in too much shock to come to terms with what just happened or she was trying to mentally deny what just occurred before her eyes. But there was no denying it.

There was _no way_ Felix had cleared that jumped and didn't also get killed by that train.

Her weak emotions coming to grips with that raw reality, Calhoun suddenly buckled, having to force her ripped-up legs straight to remain standing. She abruptly felt like the wind had been knocked out of her, like she had been run over instead, making it extremely hard to breathe.

All at once, however, she began breathing too much, heaving as her sides rapidly rose and fell. She frantically realized that she felt dizzy as if she were spinnng around in circles. Blinkly repeatedly yet again, the world around her was becoming blurry and too heavy to bear...and, worse of all, everything was a still silent.

An impossible-to-bear, deathly still kind of silence...

 _Just like it did when_ -

Shaking her head so hard she nearly fell over, the doberman gritted her teeth hard and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She forced herself to swallow down every gut-wrenching, sickening, weak, _real_ emotion she had bubbling up.

No, Sergeant Calhoun wasn't going to allow herself to feel this way, this attached. Not now- and not ever again.

The only sound for a few agonizing minutes was that of the train passing by, the constant clicking of it chugging down the tracks making Calhoun feel sick to her stomach. As the caboose finally appeared and was quickly pulled by, the doberman finally sighed emptily, about to painfully but despondently limp back towards home...

When she saw strange moment happening on the other side of the far tracks.

Her eyebrows scrunched together, Calhoun focused the movement on the ground beside the tracks...and quickly realized she was looking an orange and white creature laying in the puddle of water.

An orange and white creature that was _alive..._

"Felix!" Another scream erupted from Calhoun's lips suddenly- only this one no so gut-wrenching. In desperation, she began straining her aching legs forward, forcing them to carry them over to where the still alive corgi was.

At hearing his name, the spread out, soaking, still alive corgi slowly stood up on his paws- and came to the slow realization that he'd somehow not been killed by yet another train.

Shakily turning around, Felix saw Calhoun limping desperately towards him, slowly making her way over the tracks. Her face bore an interesting mixture of emotions, ones Felix had never seen her have quite to this degree before. Emotions of extreme anger, bitter annoyance...

And an overwhelming sense of relief.

"A-are you ok?" She asked, her wobbling voice on the verge of rare, painfully real tears. Square in between the two set of tracks, she froze and lowered her head in his direction, her dark, worried eyes begging Felix to tell her that he was really okay.

Still soaking wet, the cogri smiled gently at her as he made his way quickly over to meet her half-way, dripping along the tracks as he did.

"Never better!" Felix laughed to calm her fear as he came to stand right before her, then shaking his wet fur semi-dry. As he did, the droplets of water showered Calhoun...but oddly enough she didn't even notice.

All she could see and focus on was Felix at that moment, alive and by miracle unharmed- and she couldn't quite describe just how happy that made her.

As he continued to shake the water off, it was as if the doberman's world slowed down, watching as his soaked fur swished this way and that until it was mostly clear of the water. Giving one last shake for good measure, however, the corgi's fluffy fur became messily stuck up in many different directions.

A smile came onto Calhoun's face at how wonky and overly cute Felix looked then...

And yet, she found her smile faded into a small, awe-struck gape when she realized that Felix still appeared majestic and handsome, the now clearly visible sunrise kissing his shiny fur making him look even more appealing.

A surpirsing look of strongness and bravery coming over his face, Felix smiled kindly up at Calhoun- and instantly a raw chill ran up the doberman's spine.

"Felix...You- you jumped out of a moving train... and then nearly got _hit_ by another train in order to kill a mutated scoption...to help _me?"_ She asked softly, her eyes the widest and most raw Felix had ever seen them.

In them he saw awe, adrimation...and a strange look he couldn't quite identified yet. But one that he liked nonethless.

And, most of all, there he saw Calhoun's tough, iron-clad wall start to crumble just a bit...making Felix feel warm and happy all over.

 _Well, of course I did_ _all of that for you,_ the corgi's mind answered silently, another goofy grin surfacing on his face. _One can't control the power or force of love, after all..._

Instead of saying just what was on his mind, though, the corgi decided better of it...and decided to show it instead.

A soft smile still on his face, the corgi pranced forward and looped around under Calhoun's stomach. Coming to a stop between her two tall front legs, he looked up at her and blinked happily.

"Well, _the train_ really killed the scorpion, not me," he acknowledged humbly...

Before looking down at the painful, harsh cuts, rips, and scratches Calhoun's poor front legs were now littered with. Just looking at their painful affliction caused Felix' handsome smile to disappear...and for him to personal experience the pain those injuries must have caused her.

He briefly gave of her forearms a quick, gentle lick, making Calhoun feel her stomach do multiple cartwheels at how soft Felix was being. She wasn't used to that level of gentleness- or that she actually greatly liked the feelings it gave her.

"And besides," Felix suddenly smiled, looking back up at her with those deep blue eyes, "you said to stick by your side. At all times, right?"

Looking back down at him, all Calhoun could do was stare into his eyes as a hauntingly familiar feeling swallowed her whole.

But the feeling wasn't what shocked the closed-off doberman so much- not at this point anymore, at least.

It was the fact that she was actually _allowing_ herself to feel that familiar feeling. Allowing it to swallow her whole.

Allowing _Felix_ himself to have that effect on her. Allowing him to calm her, soothe her...

Allowing him to slowly fix the broken, pounding thing in her chest.

Actually welcoming the raw, exciting feelings filling her now, the doberman broke her stare with Felix. A slow smirk coming across her face, she backed up.

"Ok, enough with the goo-goo eyes," she pushed dryly, playfully rolling her eyes to look down the tracks heading southbound. "Without that train ride, we've got a hard, bumpy walk ahead of us."

Beginning to slowly limp down the tracks, the elegant yet tough police dog peered over her shoulder at the corgi. There Felix saw look of a hidden level of excitement on her face, ready to face whatever laid ahead of them.

"Let's move'em out...Short Stack."

A warming sensation overtaking him all over again, Felix melted for a moment on the track before quickly smiling. Forcing his wobbly paws forward, he went skipping after her.

"Can do, Tamora!" He crowed confidently- before instantly pausing and wincing in his place.

 _Oh, why'd I have to ruin such a good moment like that?!_ His mind growled at himself as he crawled to Calhoun's side, peering up at her with a marked look of contriteness. _You know she doesn't like hearin' her first name!!_

At hearing that one delicate word said yet again out loud, Calhoun whipped her head to look down at the clearly remorseful corgi. She felt beyond odd for some reason, so conflicted- making her face unreadable to Felix' worried eyes.

Every instinct inside the doberman wanted to tackle Felix and choke him out then and there. To reject the warming emotions bubbling up and fill with cold, crippling yet safe fear and anger instead- as she had done for so long. To run and hide emotionally, refused to ever be seen as weak again- all at hearing just that one word...

But instead, Sergeant Calhoun went against her natural instincts for the first time in years- and just playfully nudged Felix over to the side, an ever-growing smirk and eye roll on her glowing face.


End file.
